The federal government has vowed that an “appropriate action” will be taken against the recent escalation of attacks by Cameroonian gendarmes against Bakassi indigenes in the oil rich pennisula.
The Cameroonian gendarmes are accused of killing at least a dozen Nigerians in Bakassi during a forceful eviction of Bakassi indigenes that have chosen to settle in the peninsula.
About 20 people are reported to have been killed and more than a thousand displaced in multiple attacks by the gendarmes in the area within the last two weeks. A number of locals are also missing.
The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, said on Thursday in Abuja, that the report on the attack was being studied by the federal government.
Mr. Moro spoke after a meeting of the presidential committee on the plight of the Displaced Bakassi People.
“As it is now, as a good player on the international scene, Nigeria has subscribed to the Green Tree Agreement (GTA) and on our own part as a country we will continue to abide by the provisions of the agreement,” Mr. Moro said.
“For one reason or the other, resulting from little skirmishes here and there, the Cameroonian gendarme has attacked some innocent Nigerians. That report is being presented to government and the Nigerian government will take appropriate action to redress the situation” he added.
The most recent attack occurred over a week ago when Cameroonian soldiers allegedly opened fire on Bakassi indigenes at Efut Obot Ikot, a settlement in the peninsula where they preferred to stay, the Chairman of Bakassi Local Government Area, Ekpo Bassey, said.
He said a camp provided by the Cross River state government for the displaced persons had swollen to 1,800.
The Minister appealed to the people of Bakassi to remain calm as the federal government was determined to ensure their safety in the face of the ruling of the International Court of Justice at The Hague and the federal government’s acceptance of the ruling.
Mr. Moro said the presidential committee on the Displaced Bakassi People had presented a progress report to Vice-President Namadi Sambo on Thursday with a promise that the final report would be ready soon.
He assured that the displaced Bakassi people would find succour in the recommendations of the committee, which would be implemented by the Federal Government.
“I think at this moment we should not be attempting to segment solutions. The present crisis that we find in Bakassi is a Nigerian crisis and the Nigerian government is taking every step in conjunction with the state government to address the situation,” he said.
“And so, the right thing to do is to look up to the decision of government as to what to do with the Bakassi people, because the Bakassi people are Nigerians.’’
