Gov’t silent as Nigerian herdsmen raiding border communities in NW, SW.

People in these communities are wailing under the merciless raids of Fulani herdsmen whom local officials have confirmed are from Nigeria. 

In several of these attacks, people have been slaughtered in the cruelest of manners, businesses looted, communities ruined and farmlands destroyed.

Critics are now saying government seems to be far from accepting that the threat to life and security in these communities has continued to gain grounds. 

The attacks from the Nigerian Fulani herdsmen is bringing fresh pressure to bear on these communities still battling to survive the deadly armed conflict that has been on in the two English-speaking Regions since 2017.

Such attacks have been recorded in several border localities in Akwaya, Manyu Division of the South West Region. 

Days ago, another band of heavily armed herdsmen whom local officials said were from Nigeria raided villages across Ako Subdivision, Donga Mantung Division of the North West Region.

In addition to having looted businesses and terrorising the population, 22 persons were abducted. Their whereabouts still remains unknown. 

But for confirmation from locals and authorities that authors of the attacks in Ako and Akwaya are Fulani herdsmen, similar attacks have been recorded in parts of Menchum Division. It remains to be establish if it is the same group of Fulani herdsmen that are also on rampage there.

Government “annoyingly” silent

Some residents of these communities told The Guardian Post that they are shocked that government has remained “annoyingly” silent while Fulani herdsmen continue to maim, kill, loot and abduct people.

For one thing, not even a Divisional Officer, DO, Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, or Governor in the two regions has ever issued a statement to clarify or admit what is happening. 

At the central level in Yaounde, the silence appears to cut across the security apparatus, some locals said, they have been made to belief.

No commission has ever been set up and no official has visited these communities to ascertain what many say appears to be new security threat to the population of border communities.

Gov’t silent over abduction of 22 persons in Ako!

While many citizens say they are still in shock over the abduction of 22 compatriots across villages in Ako Subdivision, Donga Mantung Division, the government has not issued even a sentence to admit the happenstance.

It is rather the Mayor of the Ako Council, Nkanya Nkwai, who has been lamenting over the incident. Days down the line, Mayor Nkanya seems to be crying in the wind alone. 

He had told The Guardian Post that the armed herdsmen raided the villages of Buku, Akwancha, About and Abafum for two days, looting stores. Nkanya said, the gunmen returned later and abducted 22 persons among them his sister into the wild.

The Mayor was certain that those who carried out the raids and abductions are Fulani herdsmen from Nigeria. 

“They came in daylight from neighboring Nigeria and collected items from shops. Two days later, they intercepted bikes and took away 22 indigenes including my sister," he had told The Guardian Post.

He further said “we have several entry points from Taraba State in Nigeria to Cameroon through Ako Subdivision and they came in through one of such” paths and carried out their operations.

Northing has filtered to the public space as a reaction from authorities whom he said days ago had been informed of the chaos in Ako Subdivision. He further disclosed that locals have all escaped for fear of the worst.

“The situation is not a Sub-divisional issue but concerns the entire Cameroon. I appeal to the powers that be and elite to take concrete action so that people in our municipality can go about their activities peacefully," the Mayor had begged. But who is listening to this desperate appeal?

Revisiting the coldblooded killings in Akwaya

Last month, it was the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM, Member of Parliament, MP, for Akwaya, Hon Aka Martin Tyoga, who went about bemoaning the ruthless killings in his area.

Then, Hon Aka like the Mayor of Ako did not mince words in affirming that the authors of the killings were Fulani herdsmen from Nigeria.

In March, the Funali herdsmen from Nigeria raided Bakijaw village and killed three Cameroonians. Hon Aka had identified those killed to be John Goja, a certain Ayula and a primary school teacher. In addition to the killings, the Fulani herdsmen invaded Ballin and Bagundu villages. 

“…the herdsmen started attacking people and they crossed over to Akwaya and killed three Cameroonians. You know they started in my village,” the MP had said, further disclosing local community resistance initiatives which he had maintained, are not enough.

“The local population rallied and sent them (herdsmen) away but we are still afraid that since they are herdsmen, they may be planning to come back powerfully,” Hon Aka had told The Guardian Post.

MP warns herdsmen operating like Boko Haram

While government is being criticized for ignoring what could be more danger brewing from the borders, Hon Aka who boasted of having a mastery of Akwaya had warned that the herdsmen from Nigeria are operating like Boko Haram terrorist agents.

What should government do?

The MP had reiterated the need for coordinated urgent government action to guarantee the security of persons and property. He was specific that there is need for a military base to step up security in border localities. 

Hon Aka had said herdsmen come from Benue and Taraba states in Nigeria to attack border communities. The lawmaker had described the area as “a very fertile area for arms trafficking”.

“There is a corridor here that goes through Befang, Benakuma and Esimbi in the North West Region. So the only thing that the government can do to help in this area is to establish a military base,” the MP had reiterated. 

He had also said even though there is a gendarme post in Ballin, “there is need for the military base and a security post that was at Baworo to be reinstated”. 

The misfortune of Akwaya

Further lamenting the misfortune of the Subdivision, the MP had told The Guardian Post that “Akwaya is too vast, extending right up to Menchum Valley in the North West Region. The difficulty of carrying relief is that, there is no access road. So even if there is relief, it will be too difficult to reach the population”. 

Cameroon, Nigeria mute as Akwaya sliding into humanitarian catastrophe?

In addition to the threat from Nigerian Fulani herdsmen, both Cameroon and Nigeria could be sleeping while a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Akwaya.

Since 2022, there have been repeated attacks and conflicts that force the movement of hundreds of people from especially Benue State in Nigeria into Cameroon.

With the influx of Nigerian refugees, Hon Aka had told The Guardian Post that for two years, the people have not received any form of support.

He recalled having been the only person who “went there with 50 bags of rice and helped the refugees. But nothing was done. I wrote to the State but nothing happened”.

Given the recent deadly incursions that seem to be on the rise, many have said, and rightly so that government must strike while the iron is still hot to protect border communities.