Two Nigerian fishermen died in Cameroon’s detention while three others regained their freedom after spending one year in captivity, a member representing Okobo Constituency in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Efefiong Antigha, has said.
The men were said to have been abducted by the Cameroonian gendarmes as they were fishing in the high seas between the border of Nigeria and Cameroon.
Antigha, who disclosed this in Uyo on Wednesday, condemned the continuous harassment, unlawful arrest and detention of Nigerians who eke out their livelihood through fishing in the seas.
Addressing journalists when some residents of his constituency who had regained freedom from Cameroonian’s detention paid him a visit, the lawmaker urged the Federal Government not to sit back and allow the gendarmes assert authority over its maritime boundary.
He said, “The continuous harassment, unlawful arrest, detention, and killing of innocent Nigerians by Cameroonian gendarmes must be resisted.
“It is painful that most of the victims are people of my constituency. We are fishermen; we have the right to fish in the Nigerian territorial water, but often- times gendarmes are seen to be crossing to Nigerian territory to intimidate, arrest and loot fishermen of their catch.
“We are calling on the Federal Government to warn its Cameroonian counterpart to stop harassing our fishermen in Nigerian territorial water. If the Federal Government delays action in this direction, gendarmes will continue to harass, arrest, detain and kill these Nigerians.”
One of the victims, Mr. Stephen Etim, said the gendarmes arrested them in March 2013 while fishing in the high sea within the Nigerian territory.
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