Merchants from Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon shun Bakassi market over insecurity
Traders from neighbouring Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and other nearby island nations have stopped travelling to the Ikang International Market in Cross River State due to rising cases of piracy and militancy along the waterways.
Many of the merchants, according to community sources, have fallen victim to attacks, robberies, and kidnappings by sea pirates and militants.
At the weekend, youth leaders in Ikang town, Bakassi Local Government Area, raised the alarm and appealed to Governor Bassey Otu to provide boats and motorcycles to help them complement the efforts of the Navy and other security agencies deployed in their communities.
Presenting a position paper at the Bakassi Town Council Hall, the community youth leader, Prince Linus Asukwo-Bassey, said the lives of local leaders were now at risk because of their stance against criminal groups operating in the creeks.
“Big-time traders from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and other countries have stopped coming to trade at the Bakassi International Market due to incessant pirate attacks on our waters.
“They are afraid of being kidnapped for ransom by self-acclaimed militants, who also seize their goods along the creeks,” he said.
He explained that speedboats and motorcycles would enable the youths to reach creeks and upland communities, track criminal elements, and respond swiftly to emergencies.
The youth leaders also disclosed that they had received several threats from ex-militants whom they had previously cautioned against exploiting government amnesty programmes.
They lamented that some suspects were often released because of their high-level political connections.
Asukwo-Bassey vowed that youths would resist the reintegration of recently pardoned ex-militants into the community unless they first show genuine remorse for their past activities.
“We are cautious about reintegrating ex-militants until they demonstrate repentance,” he stressed, alleging that some of them had already returned to the creeks to prepare for another phase of the amnesty programme.
The youth leader, however, commended Governor Otu for extending electricity and solar power to Ikang town.
He further appealed to the state government to remodel and upgrade the Ikang market into a full-fledged international fish market.
Merchants from Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon shun Bakassi market over insecurity
