Ernest Chinwo
22 November 2009
Lagos — Etim Ekong Ita, 30, was born in Akpankayang, one of the fishing settlements in Bakassi Peninsula. He had lived all his life in the creeks and enjoyed his trade as a fisherman. But that ended about two weeks ago when he had an almost fatal encounter with the Cameroon Gendarmes.
According to Ita, he went fishing on that fateful day and was confronted by Gendarmes gunboat, which demanded N5, 000 from him. Having settled two other gunboats with N3, 000 and N2, 000 respectively, Ita begged them to collect the only N1, 000 that was left with him. That was the beginning of his woes.
The Gendarmes felt insulted and dragged him into their boat where they dealt him machete cuts on his back, beat him up and threw him into the sea. He managed to keep afloat until his people came to his rescue.
"Dem seize my fishing net, then drag me put for their boat, force me to lie down, then one of deem commot machete cut me for my back. Dem also stretch my leg, come dey beat me under my foot with big stick. After that dem throw way me for inside water. I swim until my people come rescue me. Na so dem dey treats us. Dem dey sink our boat and some people dey die. For my village, two people don die", he lamented in Pidgin English.
Ita escaped with machete cuts but Okon Edet Inyang was not so lucky. The 32 years old fisherman had a similar encounter. For struggling with the Gendarmes who wanted to collect the engine of his boat for failing to hand over N5,000 on demand, the Gendarmes poured petrol on him and set him ablaze.
"Every day I go to fishing, I pay between N5,000 and N10,000. So this day dem come catch me. I say my money don finish. Dem want take my engine so I struggle with dem. Dem carry petrol pour me, put fire. So fire comes catch me. I jump enter water but my engine, net and boat all burn finish. Na my people come carry me from water", he recounted. Today, Inyang is living with the scars from the burns and will require surgery to regain his looks.
For Okon Etim Edet, 40 years old and married with three children, "One day I went with my boat to the river. Gendarme officer came. Not one boat. Two different boats arrested me and collected N2,500 each. After them, another boat came and I told them that my money was finished. They said if I do not have money, I should go back to Nigeria. They reversed and hit my boat and sunk it. All my property in the boat was lost".
For 58-years old Mrs. Arit Asuquo, she may not have a visible scare, but the one in her heart may take years to heal. She said the only property, a stall where she sells household items at Abana, her late husband left for her was burnt down by the Gendarmes who also threatened to kill her if she did not go back to Nigeria. She said with nothing left and with the increasing threat to her life, she had no option than to join the band of fleeing Nigerians from the Bakassi peninsula.
Recounting her own ordeal, Mrs. Glory Michael, 54, mother of three, said: "I came here since Thursday, November 5. It is because of Gendarmes. They seized our boats; beat us up, especially my father. They don't allow us to fish. They collect N5,000 daily. Even now they don't even want to collect. They just don't allow us.
"The story is the same in Akpankayang, Abana, Atabong. Some people even pay as much as N20,000. Now they seize our engines, fishing materials. They always try to kill our boys. They always tell us to go back to Nigeria let our country take care of us. This is what they tell us anytime we complain."
Ita, Inyang, Edet, Asuquo and Michael are just a few among the over 1,000 Nigerians who fled Bakassi Peninsula in the last two weeks because of harassment by Cameroon Gendarmes and have taken refuge at the proposed Legislative House of the new Bakassi Local Government Council at Ekpri-Ikang, Cross River State. It is a tale of woes for the returnees who said they lost all their life savings, means of livelihood and the only home they knew until their ordeals began.
For the past two weeks, scores of Nigerians, mostly fishermen, arrive the Ekpri-Ikang Camp with tales of continued harassment of Nigerians by the Cameroon Gendarmes in the Bakassi Peninsula. As at Thursday, November 19, the Camp population has swollen from the initial 400 to more than 1,000 persons, including women and children. Most of the displaced persons returned to Nigeria in a hurry and came with virtually no property as they were said to have merely smuggled their way out of the Creeks.
The returnees who came with their wives and children said that due to the unwarranted harassment and brutal approach to Nigerians they took very serious risk running away from the peninsula.
According to them, in order to leave the peninsula surreptitiously they used hand dug canoes and rafters to escape at sea under very perilous situations. They vowed that even though they are professional fishermen who have lived all their lives at sea they would never return to the peninsula unless the Nigerian Government finds a way of making the Cameroonian Government respect the Green Tree Agreement.
The Green Tree Agreement under which Nigeria ceded the disputed Bakassi peninsula to the Republic of Cameroon following the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in favour of the Central African country, protects the rights of Nigerians living in the territory.
Article 3 of the Agreement states that "Cameroon, after the transfer of authority to it by Nigeria, guarantees to Nigerian nationals living in the Bakassi Peninsula the exercise of the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in international human rights law and in other relevant provisions of international law.
"In particular, Cameroon shall: (a) not force Nigerian nationals living in the Bakassi Peninsula to leave the Zone or to change their nationality; (b) respect their culture, language and beliefs; (c) respect their right to continue their agricultural and fishing activities; (d) protect their property and their customary land rights; (e) not levy in any discriminatory manner any taxes and other dues on Nigerian nationals living in the Zone; and (f) take every necessary measure to protect Nigerian nationals living in the Zone from any harassment or harm".
Worried by the development, the Nigerian Union in Cameroon called on the federal government to take appropriate steps to protect her citizens living the Peninsula.
President of the union, Chief Andrew Essien said formal report about the situation in the Peninsula have been communicated to the Nigerian Ambassador in Cameroon and called on the authorities to expedite action to save the lives of Nigerians living in the zone. Secretary-General of the Union, Prince Aston Ovung also told THISDAY at Ekpri-Ikang that while the union expected Nigerian officials to handle the situation, the union sent him to see to the welfare of those fleeing the area.
According to him, "about three weeks ago when the incidents became too much, the president sent me to oversee the return of the affected people. The Nigerian Diplomatic Mission in Cameroon is making efforts to address the complaints of the people. Because most of these incidents take place in the sea, far away from land, the mission relies on the union to handle these matters. The officials may be calling on their people to put an end to these hostilities, but the people in the field are not helping matters".
Ovung said many Nigerians have lost their lives in the Peninsula and called on the federal government to take appropriate steps to protect the lives of her citizens.
"Many Nigerians, about 16 have lost their lives, while one person had his ear cut. Another person lost his hand. Nigerian Government should not keep quiet while Nigerians are losing their lives in the hands of the Gendarmes. The federal government should not keep deaf ears. I think Nigerian government is not monitoring the implementation of the Green Tree Agreement," he said.
He said his presence at the Returnees Camp was also very necessary as he was screening those coming into the camp to ensure that "there are no infiltrators". He commended the prompt response of Cross River State Government in providing succour to the returnees, stressing that the State Government's high level of commitment demonstrated through State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) was satisfactory and encouraging.
He said the gesture had given the traumatised victims a sense of belonging, and hope for a better future. He emphasised that Nigerian living in Cameroon particularly the Bakassi region were law abiding and that the constant harassment and brutality of Nigerians there were unwarranted. Ovung however expressed fears that with the current rate of influx of returnees to the camp, the place may not be able to cope with the population. He noted that the returnees were no more willing to go back to the Peninsula and called on both the State and federal governments to rehabilitate the returness.
"The people are not willing to go back there (Bakassi Peninsula). They are appealing to government to assist them with fishing materials to continue with their trade. Not money. Most of these people from Abana, Atabong amongst others are into crayfish and their materials are very expensive. Since their boats and nets have been burnt, government should assist them with materials so that they can continue fishing in the rivers around here. It takes up to N1 million to fully equip one boat."
A member of the Bakassi Freedom Fighters, one of the groups that handed over their weapons in the wake of the amnesty declared by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, popularly known as "Captain Gideon" said it was necessary for Cameroon to toe the part of peace just like Nigerian government is doing everything possible to maintain the peace.
He called on the United Nations to make Cameroon to respect the Green Tree Agreement in order to restore peace and human dignity in the region. While the returnees are praising the efforts of SEMA in taking care of their needs, the camp has been a flurry of activities for Cross River State government officials.
The Cross River State government has reassured returnees from the ceded Bakassi peninsula of continuous commitment to their plight. The secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Fidelis Ugbo, addressing the returnees said that in addition to the food and other necessary facilities provided such as accommodation, toilets and water, a health facility would soon be made available by the Ministry of Health for their health needs.
The SSG lamented the circumstances that led to the displacement of the persons stating that the state government was collaborating effectively with federal government to address the increasing harassment of Nigerian fishermen in the peninsula by the Cameroon Gendarmes.
He appealed to the victims to remain peaceful and to strictly abide by the camp rules as government was doing everything possible to give them comfort. According to him, Nigerian government would not for any reason abandon her own, pointing out that measures would be taken to encourage them to engage in skills that would sustain their livelihood.
Addressing the returnees at the camp also, the Director-General, Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Mr. Vincent Aquah, urged them to abide by the camp rules, which include restriction of movement within the camp and living harmoniously among themselves. Aquah said government has spent a lot of resources to provide all the necessary facilities at the camp for their comfort and should therefore be prudent in the usage.
The Director-General commended the State Commissioner of Police who through the Divisional Police Officer for Bakassi alongside other security operatives has been giving adequate security to the returnees at the camp.
Giving an insight to the facilities at the Camp, assistant director, Information of SEMA, Mr. David Akate said, "so far, the state government has tried its best to ensure that the returnees that are over 1,000 receive some succour. We have provided them with a borehole and the water is regular, light which is also regular; mattresses, beddings, a sick bay, regular foodstuff. We are trying our best to make their stay more comfortable".
He said the Red Cross and the youth of the community are also assisting the agency while security agencies are also providing 24-hour security for the people. He also disclosed that a Port Harcourt-based non-governmental organisation has promised to assist the returnees with their medical needs.
While SEMA may be providing succour to the returnees, it is obvious that the camp may not be able to contain the influx of the returnees and the agency may also need urgent assistance from other bodies to increase food and medical supplies to the returnees. But this is aside the fundamental issue of security of Nigerian nationals in the Bakassi peninsula and the monitoring of the implementation of the Green Tree Agreement.
In 2002 an international court determined that the territory should be handed over to Cameroon. 90 per cent of the population (up to 300,000 people) considered themselves to be Nigerian nationals and have now left the area to settle on land not far away, but with no access to the sea and consequently cut off from the only kind of livelihood they have ever known - fishing. Men who have had fishing in their blood for generations are now trying vainly to adapt to farming, something they have no feel or talent for.
In spite of the enormous human upheaval and suffering caused by the ruling of the International Court of Justice, the UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon hails it as an example of peaceful negotiation settling border disputes he hopes will help in similar situations
And what does Cameroon get apart from a stretch of land? Yes, that's right, oil. It is believed that the area is potentially oil-rich, and both countries have very politely agreed to jointly explore and share the oil fields which are reckoned to be quite extensive. Let's see how polite they are to each other if the oil ever starts to flow.
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