A referendum was held in British Cameroons on 11 February 1961 to determine whether the territory should join neighbouring Cameroon

Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...

 or Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

. The option of independence having been opposed by Andrew Cohen, the UK representative to the UN Trusteeship Council

United Nations Trusteeship Council

The United Nations Trusteeship Council, one of the principal organs of the United Nations, was established to help ensure that trust territories were administered in the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace and security...

, it was not presented as an option. Ultimately the Muslim-majority Northern Cameroons saw a majority of 60% in favour of joining Nigeria, whilst the Christian-majority Southern Cameroons

Southern Cameroons

Southern Cameroons was the southern part of the British Mandate territory of Cameroons in West Africa. Since 1961 it is part of the Republic of Cameroon, where it makes up the Northwest Province and Southwest Province...

saw 70.5% in favour of integration with Cameroon. Northern Cameroon officially became part of Nigeria on 31 May, whilst Southern Cameroons became part of Cameroon on 1 October.

Results

Choice	Northern Cameroons		Southern Cameroons
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Integration into Cameroon	97,659	40.0	233,571	70.5
Integration into Nigeria	146,296	60.0	97,741	29.5
Total	243,955	100	331,312	100
Source: Nohlen et al.