The recent attacks on Cross River communities of Belegate in Obanlikwu LGA and Okwa community in Boki local Government Area by Ambazonian Separatists from Southwest Cameroon is a cause for concern.
Okwa village is located along the border of Southwest Cameroon within the Gorilla Protection Unit of Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park.
Previously, the two communities had known peace, co-existing peacefully with each other and neighboring communities of cameroon. Inter- marriages were celebrated, there were no threats or violence. But now, banditry has become the order of the day.
Residents of these communities who are predominantly farmers, usually went about their farming businesses without fear of being attacked until Ambazonian Separatist rebels began attacking the communities, maiming, raping women, burning down houses, and killing a traditional ruler, forcing many to flee to the Cameroon mountain top for refuge.
In December 17, 2023, sporadic gunshots were heard as Ambazonian rebels stormed Okwa community stealing valuables, and restricting them from accessing their farmlands.
Worried by these attacks, Obanlikwu LGA paramount ruler, His Royal Majesty HRM, Uchua Amos Item, raised an alarm calling on the federal and state governments to wade into the matter.
The state governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, visited Belegate community with food and several life saving items to provide succour to the victims.
A statement from a lawmaker representing Boki State Constituency, Hon. Victor Abang, described the invasion by the Ambazonian separatists as a security threat to the Nigeria’s national boundary which must be stopped without hesitation.
The honourable member said the latest invasion showed that there was a plan by the bandits to cause mayhem in the area. Abang recounted instances where the Cameroonian terrorists made dangerous incursions into Boki LGA, causing his constituents to perpetually live in fear, with many deserting their ancestral homes and becoming refugees in neighbouring communities.
The lawmaker cautioned that if prompt measures are not taken to safeguard the borderlands, there was an impending risk on the lives and livelihood of Nigerians living on the borderline communities to Cameroon.
The parliamentarian called for proactive measures by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without delay, to deploy military personnel to these troubled communities so as to safeguard lives of citizens and Nigeria’s territorial integrity before the situation worsens.
