It is more than 72 hours since South West Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai gave an ultimatum for the release of the Divisional Officer (DO) of Idabato, Ewane Roland, and a Council Staff member, Etongo Ismail.
Yet, no word has filtered out on their whereabouts, with the silence becoming more deafening by the day.
The nation waits with bated breath, but the question looms large, where is the DO?
On October 8, Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai said his administration had given the pirates 72 hours to release the Divisional Officer.
He made the statement while on a fact-finding mission to Idabato, where he met with local authorities. He accused Nigerian businessmen whom he said are trying to evade paying taxes for complicity in the DO’s abduction.
Military, Diplomatic Pressure, or Both?
As the clock ticks past the Governor’s ultimatum, Cameroon faces tough choices.
Will the government take military action, launching operations in the difficult terrain of Ndian?
Or could economic and diplomatic pressure be the route, targeting those potentially responsible for harbouring the kidnappers?
Both approaches carry risks – one may destabilize the region, and the other might not act swiftly enough to secure the release of the hostages.
The stakes are high, and Cameroon must tread carefully to avoid sparking further conflict.
Diplomatic Tensions with Nigeria on the Horizon?
With rumors swirling that the kidnappers may have crossed into Nigerian territory, Cameroon could be on the verge of a diplomatic brawl with its western neighbour.
When he visited Idabato last Tuesday, October 8, Governor Okalia Bilai said the administration had ample evidence that the abductors were hiding in Nigeria, whose nationals constitute about 90 percent of Idabato residents.
He alleged that it was “well established that the DO was kidnapped with the complicity of some so-called Nigerian businessmen”.
If the abductors are indeed hiding in Nigeria, Cameroon may demand greater cooperation from the Nigerian government, opening up old wounds from their shared history of territorial disputes, particularly over the Bakassi Peninsula.
A lack of Nigerian involvement could escalate the situation, making an already tense relationship even more volatile.
Ndian Division’s Troubled History
This is not the first attack on a Divisional Officer in Ndian. The region has been a hotbed of unrest for years, with kidnappings of government officials becoming an all-too-common occurrence.
Ndian, located in Cameroon’s South West region, faces significant challenges due to the ongoing Anglophone Crisis and armed separatist activities, leading to increased lawlessness.
Kidnappers often use these actions to pressure the government, and they may follow the same grim trajectory with the release of the Indabato DO.
