Standup9ja: FG summons Cameroonian ambassador over killing
of Nigerians in Bakassi
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has summoned Cameroon’s High
Commissioner to Nigeria, Amb. Abbas Salahedine, to give explanations on the
alleged maltreatment and killing of Nigerians in the Bakassi Peninsula by
Cameroonian Gendarmes
The ministry through it’s acting spokesperson, Mrs Jane
Adams, expressed dismay over the incident which was said to have been
occasioned by alleged non-payment of taxes on fishing activities.
“The ministry has instructed the Nigerian Missions in
Yaounde and Buea, to investigate the report with a view to confirming their
veracity and inform headquarters immediately.
“The ministry appeals to the Cameroonian authorities to
exercise their duty of care and protection over the people of Bakassi,
including other Nigerian citizens in the area,” the statement said.
A report on Friday had stated that no fewer than 97
Nigerians were killed as Cameroon Gendarmes allegedly attacked residents of
Bakassi over failure to pay a N100,000 boat levy.
The report stated that the attackers sacked mainly Nigerians
from Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Ondo states.
Many others were however said to have escaped at midnight
with their fishing boats and arrived at Ikang in Bakassi and Ibaka in Akwa
Ibom.
The killing and sacking of Nigerians in former Bakassi is
believed to be a violation of the 2005 Green Tree Agreement (GTA) by the
Nigeria-Cameroon Mixed Commission.
The Agreement stipulated that the Bakassi returnees must be
properly resettled to their natural habitat so that they can have a meaningful
living.
The GTA also states that Nigerians who choose to remain in
Cameroon can do so without any molestation. (NAN)
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