By PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
Bakassi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have cried for help, accusing the Nigerian soldiers drafted to Ikang Community for ‘Operation Still Water’ of harassing, and intimidating Bakassi IDPs who are predominantly fishermen.
In a peaceful protest which kick-started from Ikot Effiom Obutong re-settlement camp and ended at Ikang Bakassi fishing port, the protesters came out in hundreds and expressed their frustration and grievances over what they described as intimidation and harassment by the soldiers.
The IDPs who came out in hundreds with placards, with different inscriptions boldly written, such as: “Enough Is Enough” We Are Now Slaves In Our Own Land, Soldiers Have Inflicted Us With Poverty, etc.
They also accused the soldiers in Bakassi of flogging the fishermen for being in possession of petroleum product which the IDPs claimed it is used to power their fishing boats.
While narrating their ordeal, General Secretary, IDPs Bakassi Re-settlement Camp, Mr. Linus Asuquo Essien, who spoke on behalf of the protesters stated that the returnees are going through economic hardship as a result of not being allowed by soldiers to buy petrol for their fishing boats.
He said: “Our children can no longer go to school. On daily basis our community residents who are predominantly fishermen have at regular intervals been arrested and locked up in the Cameroon Republic prisons.
“Unfortunately non of our leaders in the house of parliament or in high place of authority had bothered to wade into the matter.
“We now go through hunger and starvation in the IDP camp due to our constant stay at home. Our major occupation is fishing, unfortunately,we have been barred by the soldiers from going to fish.
“We have over hundred fishermen who had been arrested by the Cameroon soldiers and locked up in their prisons just because they were engaged in fishing.
“This is why are calling on the federal government, United Nations to come to our aide before we perish here. Cameroonians said we are strangers, In Nigeria our soldiers accused us of engaging in bunkering. Where do we go from here. He queried.
Also speaking, Secretary General, Ikang Clan Council, Chief Essien Eyo, wondered why a Community which has 12 out of the 14 villages making up the community reside basically in the riverine area would be barred from carrying on their fishing activities.
The traditional ruler maintained that things are so bad that several fishing boats belonging to the fishermen had been burnt down to ashes.
He called on the federal government, international communities, to look into the inhuman treatment meted on to them before things go out of hands.
He said: “In the last 10 months, we haven’t seen electricity. Yet we pay taxes. In the Cameroon, we are not allowed to fish. In our own country where our oil wells were ceded to the neighboring Cameroon we are like slaves.
“We have no food to eat, our kids have dropped out from school. Our boats are parked because we lacked petrol to power our boats for fishing.
“They accused us of engaging in oil bunkering, even when there are no pipelines in Bakassi. The NNPC fuel station that used to sell petroleum product to us now lies fallow because we are not allowed to buy petrol for fishing.” He alleged.
Other allegations leveled against the military personnel in Ikang include – extortion, unnecessary intimidation and harassment of IDPs who were predominantly fishermen.
When contacted, The Army Public Relations Officer, Capt. Dorcas Aluko stated that she was attending a course outside the state and can not comment on the issue at the moment.
However, military sources in Calabar denied the allegations, saying that fishermen were using their fishing boats to smuggle petroleum product to neighboring Cameroon Republic
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