Posted by From JOSSY IDAM, Calabar on
With more than five days to todays handover D-Day for Bakassi, Cameroon authorities slammed its border firmly shut to Nigerian entrants. And it remained so until today.
...Gendarmes fire at in-coming Nigerian boats, as border remains closed to Nigerians
• Corpses at Ikang Jetty
With more than five days to todays handover D-Day for Bakassi, Cameroon authorities slammed its border firmly shut to Nigerian entrants. And it remained so until today.
However, probably to further drive the fear of Cameroon into the spines of Nigerians operating around the disputed territory the gendarmes seem to have an order to shoot on sight any Nigerian who ventured anywhere around the troubled waters of Bakassi. The unwritten article appeared to be that, while Nigerian boats were allowed out of Bakassi, none was allowed to re-enter.
Gendarmes stationed in the Peninsula now had made sure any Nigerian who managed to vacate, did not come back into the territory for anything.
Those who dared, were shot, killed or wounded. A fisherman, Akpan Udoh who escaped from the place, told Daily Sun at Akpabuyo, Cross River State, that Cameroonian soldiers-gendarmes have gone trigger happy. Speaking through an interpreter, the fisherman said the gendarmes are massed at waterfronts, shooting, killing and destroying boats venturing into the peninsula.
Akpan also revealed that unidentified corpses recently washed up at Abana beach, the hitherto administrative headquarter of Bakassi Local Government Area.
As the today's handover date of the peninsular drew close, Daily Sun learnt the gendarmes had made life unbearable for Nigerians living there. Another returnee who now lives at a temporary shelter erected by Cross River State government at Ikang, George Okon, accused the gendarmes of looting, raping and killing Nigerians in the peninsula at will.
'Not checked by anybody, there's no Nigerian soldier or police in the area now to protect us. So, the gendarmes treat us like slaves. They take things by force - rape housewives and girls openly. So, no point in my staying there again,' the former school teacher said Tuesday.
A military source told Daily Sun that the gendarmes overkill may not be unconnected with the recent attack on the gendarmes by militants in the area. 'It looks like a reprisal attack which has now gone out of control,' the military source said.