Ungoverned Maritime Zones : Cross River Raises Alarm Over Foreign Led Illegal Resources Extraction
The Cross River State Governor, Bassey Edet Otu has sounded the alarm on foreign-led illegal resource extraction in the state’s vast, ungoverned maritime territories.
Otu disclosed this during a high-level visit from the Strategic Intelligence Management Institute (SIMI) recently.
Speaking at Government House, he described the operations as generating over $10 billion monthly – a dire economic sabotage amid Nigeria’s ₦6 trillion budget deficit – and a ticking national security bomb.
Governor Otu revealed that the state currently shelters between 54,000 and 60,000 refugees in cross-border locations, straining local resources and security adding that” Previously rampant kidnappings and insecurity had driven professionals like doctors to flee, but decisive action and inter-agency collaboration restored relative peace.”
“A pressing new threat looms in the state’s ungoverned maritime areas, where foreign actors conduct unauthorized resource extraction.
He added that”These illegal operations generate over $10 billion monthly by conservative estimates, amid Nigeria’s ₦6 trillion budget deficit,” Otu warned, labeling it economic sabotage and a national security crisis. The governor noted that the state had to independently secure its coastline when federal responses lagged.
Adesuyi praised Otu’s model of security governance during SIMI’s study tour on “New Regional Dynamics, New Policy Responses.” She flagged ECOWAS shifts – including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger’s exit to form the Alliance of Sahelian States – as heightening border vulnerabilities, with instability spilling into Nigeria.
Otu emphasized security and energy as existential priorities, welcoming SIMI’s offer of tailored capacity-building and policy recommendations to fortify the state.
” Cross River, with its 500 kilometers of shared borders and critical navigational channels, currently hosts 54,000 to 60,000 refugees in cross-border sites.
This influx, he noted compound pressures from past kidnappings and insecurity that once emptied communities of professionals like doctors.
Otu credited relentless security efforts for restoring order but stressed the need for independent coastline defenses when federal aid fell short.
The Governor underscored security and energy as Nigeria’s existential pillars, welcoming SIMI’s offers of policy insights and training to bolster the state.
SIMI Provost Ambassador Jadesohola Adesuyi praised Otu’s leadership as a model, tying it to their study tour on “New Regional Dynamics, New Policy Responses.” She highlighted ECOWAS disruptions – like the Alliance of Sahelian States formed by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger – as amplifying border risks, with instability spilling southward.
The Provost of the Strategic Intelligence Management Institute (SIMI), Ambassador Jadesohola Adesuyi, commended Governor Bassey Edet Otu for his proactive security leadership during a courtesy visit to Government House, Calabar.
The engagement highlighted Cross River’s precarious position as a custodian of Nigeria’s territorial integrity, with its nearly 500 kilometers of shared borders and vast maritime domain.