Nigerian soldiers threaten to shoot Cameroonian Refugees following a dispute over speed brakes

The Ogoja refugee camp in Adagom 3, where thousands of Cameroonians are seeking refuge from the war in the English-speaking South West and North West regions of the country has been in chaos for days now.

Genesis
Reports reaching our newsroom indicate that on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, a Chinese worker travelling through the Adagom community to his place of work destroyed speed brakes installed to safeguard children from being hit by fast-moving vehicles.

Nfor Victor Nkeh, a Humanitarian who runs an NGO helping refugees, is said to have helped build the speed brakes.

He testified that the Chinese men had shown the soldiers their photographs and ordered them to kill them, saying, “Kill this person, and I will give you one million.”

“Those speed brakes are not found on the main road, they are found inside the settlement. We constructed them because of the children,” a refugee (name withheld) told the Cameroon News Agency (CNA).

The same source added that “some Chinese men passed around with their Hilux. But suddenly we saw them coming back with a heavy-duty truck. They removed the brakes and threatened to kill anyone who opposed them. They also went to an area where children were learning and brought it down. The Chinese then invited the police, who came and started flogging refugees and security guards.”

Nkeh added, “They took pictures of me alongside others and threatened to kill us.”

Soldiers accomplices?

A soldier allegedly threatened to shoot anyone who dared them as the situation became more tense. According to reports, one woman passed out and was brought to the hospital.

Although it has been difficult to independently confirm that the soldiers were in the shooting position, footage and images from the community depict a tense scene with booing migrants and irate men in uniform.

Additionally, CNA received images and videos showing men in military attire disabling the speed brakes with pistols and sticks.

Persecuted at home and abroad

Children in the area are at risk due to the prevalence of heavy-duty trucks, and it is unclear whether the speed brakes were supposed to be built there.

The refugees are travelling a perilous path since they face threats to their lives both in Cameroon and in the location where they want to seek refuge.

The refugees were heard in the crowd saying they would rather be killed than intimidated. “They should better kill us; let them kill us,” They surrounded the soldiers, saying.

Source: Cameroon News Agency (CNA)