Bakassi IDPs Protest Kidnapping Of 4 Nigerian Chiefs By Cameroonian Gendarmes
Aggrieved Nigerians in the Bakassi peninsula who have over the years taken refuge in camps for internally displaced persons, having been forcefully ejected from their settlements by Cameroonian authorities, have protested alleged abduction of four community leaders.
Registering their protest in an address to Journalists in Uyo the Akwa Ibom State capital on monday, the National and International Coordinator, Bakassi IDPS and Liaison Officer, Prince Aston Joseph Inyang, lamented that the Nigerian returnees have been subjected to untold hardship by Cameroonian government.
In addition to wanton abuses of their human rights, extortion and heavy taxation, Inyang reportes that the crises reached an all time high when four community leaders were seized and taken to unknown destination for the past two weeks.
He mentioned those captured to include Bassey Ikoedem Utong, Ndung Ekpenyong Ndung, Joseph Ekpenyong Isang and Asukwo Isuo Atteh.
His words “They were arrested over 12 days ago, and till date, nobody knows their whereabouts. I therefore want to call on Nigerian government, Akwa Ibom State government and other relevant authorities to intervene with a view to rescuing the seized community leaders alive”
Inyang alleged that to free the abducted chiefs, the community was requested by the Divisional Officer (DO) in-charge of Idabatu station to pay the sum of N594,000.
In addition to the abducted chiefs, their crayfish, fish and other seafoods, according to Inyang, were forcefully seized from them at Abunja area of Cameroon.
While regretting that some natural boundaries have been falsified and Nigerian territories including Ataobong community, have been renamed to bear Cameroonian names, while local Nigerian chiefs were replaced by Cameroonians.
Inyang also informed newsmen that forceful eviction of Nigerians from their areas, extortion monies in form of taxes and other inhuman treatments, had compelled them to report the matter to the United Nations (UN) and the Nigerian government, but to no avail.
He reported their Independent findings to have revealed that the four chiefs were first detained at the Diamond security station and later taken to Abana, which is now renamed Jabanne and finally transferred to Mudemba, the headquarters of Ndian Division.
“Nigerians from Bakassi peninsula had cried out about one month ago over forceful eviction by the Cameroonian authorities for unwarranted taxation and levies.
“As a people with large families, they were gathered at Ikang, in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State, as well as Esuk Enwang in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State without any emergency attention given to us”, he lamented in a protest letter addressed to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
