A coalition of 46 civil society organisations under the platform of the Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness (CCLCA) has called on Bola Tinubu to establish a Presidential Special Investigation Panel to probe the circumstances surrounding the loss of about 780 hectares of Nigerian maritime waters within the Cross River estuary.

Director-General of the centre, Gabriel Nwambu, who read the recommendations contained in a communiqué on Thursday in Abuja, said the coalition’s call followed a fact-finding mission into maritime boundaries in the Gulf of Guinea and the delineation between Nigeria and Cameroon.

Nwambu said the mission, conducted in collaboration with 12 rights organisations, examined ownership claims involving Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State, particularly around the Cross River estuary.

According to him, the coalition convened the dialogue to deliberate on its findings and propose a roadmap for regional peace and administrative clarity.

The group urged the President to review the 2024 and 2025 inter-agency committee reports on oil well verification and derivation allocations affecting the two states, and to order proper demarcation of the Nigeria–Cameroon maritime boundary in line with the 2002 judgment of the International Court of Justice.

Other recommendations include a forensic audit of revenues and derivation payments linked to the Ekanga and Zafiro transboundary oil fields, investigation into the alleged unilateral approval of ₦33 billion payments from the Federation Account without presidential authorisation, and diplomatic engagement with Cameroon on transboundary reservoir development agreements for 49 identified wells in OML 114.

The coalition also called for the restoration and recognition of Cross River State’s littoral status based on the geographic and legal status of the Cross River.

Speaking separately, investigator Sam Amadi said the findings from the tour underscored the need for an independent federal panel to examine the differing positions in the boundary dispute between Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.

He added that the findings suggested Cross River State was a littoral state that had been marginalised.