Plight of Taraba villagers terrorised by Cameroonian rebels

Residents of border areas between Nigeria and Cameroon Republic in Taraba State have raised alarm over the absence of an army base and communication which have exposed them to attacks by Cameroonian soldiers and Ambazonian fighters.  Daily Trust findings reveal that in recent weeks, many Taraba communities were attacked by Cameroonian and Ambazonian forces.  In […]

Residents of border areas between Nigeria and Cameroon Republic in Taraba State have raised alarm over the absence of an army base and communication which have exposed them to attacks by Cameroonian soldiers and Ambazonian fighters.

 Daily Trust findings reveal that in recent weeks, many Taraba communities were attacked by Cameroonian and Ambazonian forces.

 In each incident, the aggressors carried out their attacks on Nigerian soil and went back without being arrested by security agents especially the army who were nowhere to be found.

 This is unlike in Cameroon where all the border communities are manned by soldiers and other security agents and well equipped with communication system.

 At Manga town, one of the border communities in Takum Local Government Area in Taraba State where Ambazonian militia killed about 13 persons and 20 others went missing, there was neither a police outpost nor the presence of the army before the attack which occurred at about 6am Tuesday last week.

 

 Locals said the area lack telephone network which made it difficult to send distress calls in the event of an attack or situations requiring urgent response.

 A visit by Daily Trust to the area showed that only an immigration outpost situated by the bank of a river in the community exits. It was however gathered that during the late Sani Abacha regime, there was a military base in the town but that is no longer there.

 There is also no telephone network in the town and in most border areas which are located by the bank of a river in between mountain ranges.

 It is only through the river on which the Kashimbila hydropower dam is constructed that the area can be reached and the journey takes over one and half hours in an engine boat or flying boat from Kashimbila Dam.

 Once you are in that area, you are without telephone network and access road.

 However, there is now a detachment of soldiers who were deployed from the 33 Army Battalion Takum shortly after last Tuesday attacks.

 Manga community is inhabited by the Shibong, a subunit of the Jukun tribe and they have their kinsmen across Cameroon Republic with whom they speak the same language and relate socially and economically.

 A source in the area told Daily Trust that the inhabitants of Manga were always in trouble with Ambazonian separatists because of their alleged support to Cameroon soldiers who are fighting the Ambazonian fighters.

 Before the attacks on Manga, a resident who simply identified himself as James, told Daily Trust that the Ambazonian fighters attacked a town in Cameroon resident and killed their ruler for allegedly supporting the Cameroon government.

 James stated that in the wake of the attack, their kinsmen fled to Manga town and were given refuge.

 He said few days later, the Ambazonian fighters, probably on their trail, invaded Manga town and killed 13 persons including the village head and three children while 20 other members of the community went missing.

 Manga town is not the only border community in Taraba State to be attacked by Cameroonians.

 Two weeks ago, three border communities were attacked by the Cameroonian soldiers in Kurmi Local Government Area that share boundary with Cameroon Republic.

 The Cameroonian soldiers, it was gathered, attacked the Nigerian towns under the pretext of searching for runaway Ambazonians.

 Just like Manga town, Mairogo and Tosso communities in Kurmi Local Government were also attacked by Cameroon soldiers two weeks ago as they also have no security agents.

The chairman Kurmi Local Government Area, Mr. John Joseph, reacting to the attacks on his people by Cameroon soldiers said the absence of Nigerian security agents, especially the army, is a source of security threat to border communities in his area.

 He called on the federal government to deploy soldiers and other security agents to border areas to ensure security.

 Daily Trust reports that in response to the attack in Manga town, Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku sent a high powered committee to the area.

 The committee members included the Commander of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army Jalingo, Brigadier General H. I. Mabeokwu and Comptroller Nigeria Immigration Services in Taraba, Mr. Nuhu Tanko, state Commissioner of Information, Danjuma Adamu and Chairman Takum Local Government, Mr Tikari, among others.

Narrating their ordeal to the committee at Manga town, on Saturday, spokesman of the community, Abubakar Manga, said but for immigration officers that were on ground at the time of the attack, the entire community would have been wiped off.

 He further told the committee that Ambazonian militia crossed the river and invaded the community through the mountains at about 6am last Tuesday.

 Abubakar Manga explained that the militia first attacked the house of the village head and killed him before shooting sporadically killing 13 persons including three children.

 He said the immigration, however, responded with fire which saved the situation as the attackers withdrew and vanished into the mountains.

 Abubakar stated that the immigration also rescued some people that fell into the river adding that 20 other people were still missing and presumed dead.

 Abubakar said lack of network communication had worsened the situation because they could not send distress calls.

 On why the Ambazonian militia attacked the community in Nigeria, the spokesman said they have their kinsmen in Cameroon that were attacked by the Ambazonians and some of them ran into the community and were given refuge.

 “They are our kinsmen; we speak the same language so when they ran to us we have no option but to give them refuge and that was our only offence,” he said.

 Also speaking, the chief of Kashimbila, Mallam Zakari Musa, said lack of communication and presence of soldiers in most of the border areas has put inhabitants at risk of attack by both Ambazonian militia and Cameroon soldiers.

 He said during the late Abacha’s regime, all border communities were manned by Nigerian Army and other security agents which prevented aggression from Cameroon. He said even in Manga community where the Ambazonian militia attacked, there was a military base but it was closed.

He commended Governor Ishaku and Takum Army Battalion for the deployment of soldiers to Manga.

“We urge President Buhari to revive the deployment of soldiers to man all border communities to secure the country’s international borders,” he said.

 Chairman of Takum Local Government Area, Mr Tikari, warned Cameroonians from attacking Nigerian border communities and called for the deployment of soldiers to man all border communities as was done during late Abacha regime.

The Commissioner of Information, Danjuma Adamu, told the affected community that Governor Ishaku was concerned over their safety which was why he responded by deploying soldiers and other security agents to arrest further aggression.

 Adamu also tasked the community members to support and cooperate with the army sent to secure their border area.

 He also disclosed that government will provide relief materials to them.

 Meanwhile, Governor Ishaku has said he was helpless over the attack in his state, adding that he made several appeals to the authorities to deploy the army to border areas in the state.

 He commended the army for deploying soldiers to Manga community where the recent attack occurred.

 Ishaku also urged those that deserted their areas in the wake of the attack to return because soldiers have now been drafted to the affected areas.