Five Nigerian pastors and several other Nigerian nationals residing in the Idabato II community of Cameroon have been arrested and detained by Cameroonian authorities following the abduction of the community’s Divisional Officer, Ewane Roland, by armed men in early October.
Eniola Alabo, a former chairman of the Yoruba community in the now-defunct Bakassi Peninsula, shared details of the situation in an interview with Saturday PUNCH on Tuesday.
According to Alabo, Cameroonian officials linked the kidnapping of Roland to Nigerians in the area and launched a military operation in response. The attack occurred on October 1, 2024, when Roland and another council official, Etongo Ismaeil, were abducted by gunmen who used a flying boat to carry out the operation in the coastal region.
Alabo explained that after the abduction, Cameroonian authorities deployed the Gendarmerie to the community, where they began shooting sporadically into the air as part of their raid to capture those they believed to be responsible. This raid caused widespread panic among the Nigerians in the area, who feared for their safety. During the operation, several Nigerians, including Iseoluwa Eniola, Feran Ajimosun, Idowu Ajimosun, Abiola Ajimosun, Blessing Ajimosun, Sunny Bassey, Feran Samagbeyi, and Godwin, were detained by Cameroonian forces.
The situation escalated when the South-West Governor of Cameroon, Bernard Okalia, visited Idabato on October 8, 2024, and declared a total lockdown of the community, which is primarily populated by Nigerian fishermen.
Okalia issued a 72-hour ultimatum, demanding that both Nigerians and Cameroonians in the community produce Roland alive. In a video of the visit, Okalia was seen announcing the closure of shops and churches and restricting all movement in and out of Idabato.
This lockdown left the Nigerian residents economically stranded, as their livelihoods, largely dependent on fishing, were disrupted. Alabo revealed that the community, which had been unable to carry out any economic activities, was suffering from hunger and frustration. Many residents, unable to endure the economic hardship, defied the governor’s orders in early November and resumed their fishing activities. This angered the Cameroonian authorities, who responded by deploying soldiers to Idabato on November 10 and 11, 2024, to arrest Nigerians in the community. During the invasion, soldiers fired into the air, injuring several Nigerians in the process.
As part of the crackdown, the Cameroonian military targeted the churches in the area. On the day the churches resumed their activities, soldiers invaded the Assembly Church of God in Idabato II and arrested five Nigerian pastors. The pastors—Adeleke Omoniye, Cascar Ubom, Etim Asuquo, Olamide Ayeye, and Umoh Atete—were detained and whisked away to unknown locations by the Cameroonian soldiers.
A Nigerian community leader in Idabato, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, expressed concern for the pastors’ safety. He stated that although they were reportedly released a few days later, their whereabouts remained unknown, and there were no further updates on their condition. The leader also revealed that the incident had forced many Nigerians to relocate to neighboring communities in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states in Nigeria, as they sought to escape the increasing hostilities from the Cameroonian authorities.
The situation has caused widespread panic and distress among Nigerians in Idabato II, with many fearing for their lives. “The Cameroonian authorities have made life unbearable for Nigerians in Idabato,” said the source. “We have all the major tribes of Nigeria here—Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Efik, and others—and we are now living in constant fear.”
PUNCH/NGG
