- Bakassi clashes (1981, 1987, 1993, 1996, 1998) — repeated Nigerian Army (82 Division) and Cameroonian Gendarmerie firefights; the 16 May 1981 Rio del Rey incident kills 5 Nigerian sailors and nearly triggers war.
- 1987 Akwa Ibom excision — Babangida creates Akwa Ibom (23 Sept 1987); Cross River loses the bulk of its population, IGR and (eventually) oil acreage.
- Bakassi militarisation, 1994 — Cameroon deploys regular army battalions to Idabato and Atabong; Nigeria responds with 82 Div elements; the dispute is referred by Cameroon to the ICJ on 29 March 1994.
- 1998 Bakassi militia ('Bakassi Freedom Fighters') — Efik-led militia under Ene Okon Asuquo emerges briefly; suppressed jointly by Nigerian and Cameroonian forces.
Cross River State · Crisis deep dive
Second & Third Republics — Bakassi, environmental and boundary fights (1979–1999)
Methodology
Tier 1 · primary
Courts. Gazettes. National archives.
Tier 2 · corroborating
OCCRP. HRW. BudgIT. TheCable.
Tier 4 · tertiary, flagged
Wikipedia only where primary is pending. Always labelled.