Bakassi was founded around 1450 by the Efik of coastal south eastern
Nigeria, and was incorporated within the political framework of Calabar
Kingdom along with Southern Cameroons.
During the European scramble for Africa, Queen Victoria signed a Treaty
of Protection with the King and Chiefs of Calabar on 10 September 1884.
This enabled the United Kingdom to exercise control over the entire
territory of Calabar, including Bakassi. The territory subsequently
became de facto part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, although the
border was never permanently delineated. Interestingly, even after
Southern Cameroons voted in 1961 to leave Nigeria and became a part of
Cameroon, Bakassi remained under Calabar administration in Nigeria until
the International Court of Justice's judgement of 2002 which ceded
ownership of Bakassi to Cameroon.
For more detailed information about the Bakassi Peninsula dispute
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