A PDP chieftain and the party’s candidate for Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency in the 2027 general elections, Mr. Pius Abang, has urged the Federal Government, Cross River State Government, and local lawmakers to urgently address the reported incursion of Cameroonian soldiers into Danare community in Boki Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking during a telephone conversation on Thursday, Abang warned that silence over the development could cost Nigeria another territorial loss.
He called on the member representing Boki I State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly (CRHA), the member representing Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency, Mr. Victor Abang, and relevant government authorities not to “pay deaf ears” to the issue but to act swiftly.
Abang also urged the state and federal governments to deploy SEMA and NEMA relief materials to Danare and send officials to assess the situation.
According to him, the presence of foreign troops threatens national sovereignty and has forced residents of the Danare community to live in fear.
Abang compared the situation to the ceding of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon about 20 years ago, noting that Cross River State still suffers economic and social consequences from losing coastal access, fishing communities, and its oil-producing status following the boundary adjustment.
He warned that another territorial loss through military incursion would betray people who had already sacrificed their ancestral land.
“This should not repeat itself,” he stressed, referencing oil wells ceded to Cameroon and Akwa Ibom.
The PDP chieftain called on border agencies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Boundary Commission to verify the reported incursion, engage Cameroon diplomatically, and reaffirm Nigeria’s territorial integrity in Danare.
He said early intervention could prevent further escalation.
Abang further urged President Tinubu and Governor Bassey Otu to treat the matter as urgent and called on the representative of the constituency, Mr. Victor Abang, to move a motion that would prompt the Federal Government to take immediate action.
According to him, decisive action now would demonstrate that lessons had been learnt from Bakassi and ensure that no more land is lost through negligence.
