Deputy governor laments murder of C’River community leaders by Ambazonian insurgents

By Hannah Nathan, Warri

The Ambazonia Boys, separatist rebels from southwest Cameroon, invaded the Belegete hamlet in the Obanliku Local Government Area, and this infuriated Peter Odey, the Deputy Governor of Cross River State.

Francis Okweshi, the chief of the clan, was among the community leaders who were allegedly kidnapped and murdered by them.

On December 5, 2023, militants from Cameroon assaulted the Cross River settlement, kidnapping over thirty native people and leaving many of them crippled and dead.

According to a Source, as of yesterday, they were still residing in the neighbourhood, which is close to the well-known Obudu Mountain resort.

When the Federal Ministry of Interior’s Integrated Border Governance and Inter-Ministerial Committee visited his office yesterday to learn more about the difficulties boundary villages confront, the deputy governor voiced his concerns.

He noted that the massive flood of refugees from Cameroon brought about by the ongoing armed uprising that began in 2017 has been one of the state’s biggest problems.

He claimed that the state, which has four international borders, is currently home to 52,000 refugees from Cameroon—the largest number in Nigeria.

Odey expressed sorrow that identity crises had contributed to some of the conflicts in border areas and urged the federal government to make sure that the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda was felt by communities on the edge.

He noted that the massive flood of refugees from Cameroon brought about by the ongoing armed uprising that began in 2017 has been one of the state’s biggest problems.

He claimed that the state, which has four international borders, is currently home to 52,000 refugees from Cameroon—the largest number in Nigeria.

Odey expressed sorrow that identity crises had contributed to some of the conflicts in border towns and urged the federal government to make sure that all Nigerians, especially those living in border communities, felt the impact of the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Before her speech, Mrs Comfort Kabirwa, Team Lead for the Federal Ministry of Interior, described the goal of their visit as assessing the issues at the location to offer remedies.

Kabirwa suggested that the Interior Minister wants the government to be more noticeable in border areas.

According to her, these issues still affect the communities, which is why an interministerial committee is required.

One of the team members, Comptroller S. A. Agba, stated that information from the tour might result in the opening of outposts for different security services to control immigration and migration, hence reducing the number of foreigners entering the country.