December 13, (THEWILL) – The Paramount Ruler of Obanliku LGA in Northern Cross River State, HRM, Uchua Amos Item, has appealed for help as rebels from neighbouring Cameroon wreaked havoc on Belegete, a community in Obanliku.
The rebels, who are said to be Ambazonia fighters from the southwest Cameroon Republic, invaded the mountainous community of Belegete in the Obanliku local government area of Cross River State and left behind massive destruction.
The Ambazonian rebels infiltrated the Belegete community on December 5, 2023, and reportedly abducted over 40 Cross River indigenes, killed the Clan Head, Chief Francis Okweshi and occupied the place.
In his reaction, the monarch lamented that the displaced people were yet unable to return because the Ambazonia rebels had destroyed many of their houses.
The paramount ruler said even though he had reached out to the army and police commanders nearby, the security agencies were unable to access the difficult terrain.
“The army could not immediately access the Belegete community because of its challenging topography. It takes over six hours from the famous Obudu Mountain Resort, to get there by descending the mountains into the deep.
“It is not motorable in any way. Okada riders charge N35,000 to travel there. So it was very difficult for our men to descend to the place to rescue our people.
“But reliable sources confirmed to me this morning that the insurgents have abandoned the community. But they burnt some houses before they fled.”
The monarch, appealed for government presence in the Belegete community to deter incessant invasions of armed insurgents from Cameroon.
The area is one of the hard-to-reach areas of Cross River State and is completely bereft of government amenities.
The Belegete people are cut off from the rest of Nigeria because people hardly travel there, and there is no government presence of any sort.
About the Author
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
