Attack on Belegete: Lawmaker cautions FG on ceding another part of Nigeria to Cameroon

Member representing Obanliku/Bekwarra/Obudu Federal Constituency, Peter Akpanke, has advised President Bola Tinubu to act fast and avert the ceding of another part of Nigeria to Cameroon like the case of Bakassi Peninsula.

What was originally a border conflict between Cameroon and Nigeria later affected Bakassi after insurgents, made up of local separatists, fought against Cameroonian government forces, which led to Nigeria ceding Bakassi to Cameroon on August 14, 2008, following the Greentree Agreement.

The lawmaker spoke against the backdrop of another horrific attack by suspected Ambazonian militants from the Republic of Cameroon against a border town between Nigeria and Cameroon, Belegete Community, on December 5, 2023, where 30 persons were abducted.

Explaining, Akpanke said: “Beyond the plight brought upon the Belegete people, this unprovoked aggression is a frontal attack on the territorial integrity of Nigeria.”

“The Nigerian government needs to take urgent and drastic action to forestall a repeat of what happened in the Southern border where Nigeria lost part of its rich territory to Cameroon. It should be treated as a case of ‘once bitten, twice shy.’”