Ernest Chinwo
31 October 2009
Calabar — No fewer than 400 Nigerians have fled the ceded Bakassi Peninsula to the country with tales of woe and agony as a result of inhuman treatment meted out to them by the Cameroonian Gendarmes.
Narrating their ordeals, the Bakassi displaced persons mostly fishermen camped at Ikang in the new Bakassi Local Government of Cross River State said they had been undergoing torture in the hands of the Gendarmes since the ceding of the area.
They recalled that the recent onslaught on Nigerians which they alleged had caused the death of many Nigerians with some being unaccounted for, warranted their running away from the area.
Displaying wounds sustained as a result of the torture from Gendarmes, the victims said clubs, belts and knives were used in beating them especially when they failed to comply with their unwarranted extortion for huge sums of money.
They said that beyond the extortion their fishing boats and nets were often destroyed without any provocation.
The Secretary General, Nigeria Union in Cameroon, Prince Aston Ovung, who led the first set of the returnees to Ikang said Nigerians living in Cameroon particularly the Bakassi region were law abiding and that the constant harassment and brutality of Nigerians there were unwarranted.
According to him several Nigerians have lost their lives, while some are maimed in into addition to the loss of their property including fishing boats and nets.
He appealed to the Federal Government to mount pressure on the Cameroonian Government to respect the Green Tree Agreement which according to him is being violated.
He also called on the UN to enforce its mandate on the Cameroon Government to respect the Green Tree Agreement in order to restore peace and human dignity in the region.
Cross River State Security Adviser, Barr. Bassey Okim addressing the returnees described the situation as unfortunate as Nigerians living in Cameroon have tried to abide by the laws of the land.
Also addressing the victims, the Director General of Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Mr. Vincent Aquah assured them of adequate attention while in camp.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
