THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE IN THE SETTLEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL DISPUTE A CASE STUDY OF THE BAKASSI PENINSULAR CONFLICT 1993-2002

ABSTRACT

          The discovery of oil reserves in the waters surrounding Bakassi Peninsula subjected it to claims and counter-claims for sovereignty, military occupation and recourse to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). On October 10,2002, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Peninsula and the territory in the Lake Chad region should be under the sovereignty of Cameroon. This judgment elicited sensitive scholarly issues of citizenship and self-determination as fundamental human rights. Also, it encountered difficulties in implementation, which following intensive diplomatic activities culminating in the 12 June 2006 Green Tree Agreement brokered by the United Nations and guaranteed by four world powers- Britain, France, Germany and United States, set the modalities of withdrawal and transfer of authority in the Bakassi Peninsula.

          This work, therefore, is a product of the study of the role of ICJ in the Nigeria-Cameroon boundary dispute. To this effect, we ascertained how the ICJ adjudication on the Bakassi Peninsula constituted the denial of the human rights of Bakassi citizens; the provisions of the Green Tree Agreement resolved the difficulties in the implementation of the ICJ ruling; the interests of external powers affected the adjudication and implementation of the ICJ ruling. We employed the schema theory of security dilemma as our analytical framework to provide a conceptual foundation for the study. Our method of data collection and analysis are qualitative and qualitative-descriptive methods respectively. In the final analysis, we posited that although the judgment was based on facts presented by both parties, the conduct of plebiscite that will take into cognizance the human rights of the Bakassi citizens would have been more effective in the settlement of the dispute.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE                                                                                  i

CERTIFICATION                                                                          ii

DEDICATION                                                                                 iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT                                                              iv

ABSTRACT                                                                                    vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS                                                                viii

CHAPTER ONE

1.1     Background of the Study                                                                  1

1.2     Statement of the Problem                                                        7

1.3     Aims and Objectives of the Research                                                9

1.4     Scope of the Research                                                             9

1.5     Research Methodology                                                            10

1.6     Justification of the Study                                                                  10

1.7     Literatures Review                                                                  10

 

CHAPTER TWO: AN OVERVIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE                                                                      18

2.1     Historical Evolution of the International Court of Justice                18

2.2     Membership of International Court of Justice                         22

2.3     Power and Jurisdiction of the Court                                        23

2.4     Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice                    26

2.5     International Court of Justice in Perspective                                    27

2.6     Mechanism for Enforcement of ICJ Judgments                       29

2.7     Pacific Settlement of Disputes Adjudication                                     31

2.8     Proceedings of the International Court of Justice                              36

CHAPTER THREE: ENFORCEMENT OF ICJ, JUDGMENT IN THE CASE OF NIGERIA VS CAMEROON (BAKASSI PENINSULA) 39

3.1     Nigerian vs Cameroon: Facts of the Case                                41

3.2     Decision of International Court of Justice and its Consequences

                                                                                                          49

3.3     Compliance with the Court’s Decision                                    61

 

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1     Consequences of Non-Compliance with the Decision of the Court

                                                                                                          63

4.2     Options of the Decision                                                           66

4.3     A Critique of the Green Tree Agreement Judgment on Bakassi peninsula                                                                              69

4.4     Implication of ICJ Ruling in Interstate Relation                      78

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION                           85

5.1     Summary                                                                                85     

5.2     Conclusion                                                                              92     

BIBLIOGRAPHY                                                                          97