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Five Nigerian Pastors Arrested In Cameroon Over Kidnap Case

Published

1 month ago

Nov 23, 2024.

Five Nigerian pastors, along with other Nigerians living in Idabato II, Cameroon, have been detained by Cameroonian authorities following the abduction of Divisional Officer Ewane Roland earlier this October. The pastors’ arrest highlights escalating tensions between the Cameroonian government and the Nigerian community in the disputed Bakassi Peninsula.

The incident unfolded after armed men abducted Roland and another official, Etongo Ismaeil, using a speedboat in the coastal area. Blaming Nigerians in the region for the crime, Cameroonian soldiers launched raids on Idabato, detaining multiple Nigerians and causing widespread fear.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Local leader Eniola Alabo, a former chairman of the Yoruba community in the area, recounted how the military’s aggressive actions, including sporadic gunfire, disrupted life in the community. Among those detained were residents and religious leaders, including Pastors Adeleke Omoniye, Cascar Ubom, Etim Asuquo, Olamide Ayeye, and Umoh Atete, who were taken from the Assembly Church of God.

Governor Bernard Okalia of Cameroon’s South-West Region visited Idabato on October 8 and declared a total lockdown, ordering residents to produce the missing official within 72 hours. Churches, shops, and fishing activities were halted, plunging residents, mostly Nigerians, into economic hardship.

Despite restrictions, locals defied the lockdown in November to resume fishing, prompting further military action. Residents described the soldiers’ raids as violent, with many sustaining injuries and others fleeing to Nigerian territories for safety.

Pastors Arrested In Cameroon

The escalating crisis has affected Nigerians’ livelihoods and caused fatalities. A Nigerian woman, Esther Okon, reportedly died from childbirth complications due to the lockdown, as she could not access medical care. Her body was later transported to Nigeria after negotiations with Cameroonian authorities.

Efforts to address the situation have largely stalled, with Nigerians in the area accusing Cameroonian officials of unjust taxation and harassment. Attempts to involve Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission have yielded little progress.

The crisis underscores the lingering tensions in the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula, a region awarded to Cameroon in a 2002 court ruling but still home to thousands of Nigerians who consider it their ancestral land.