BY ATIA TILARIOUS AZOHNWI
“I thank you all for the prayers and fight you put up to ensure our release when we were detained in Yaoundé. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. At the same time, I pray that you’ll continue to mount pressure for the release of our other brothers and sisters who are still in detention. We cannot move forward as a people when we have our brothers and sisters in detention. We also pray that you put pressure for those who are on self-exile to return.”
Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla, Founder and Chairman of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, was addressing the population of Eyumojock on Sunday, November 19, 2017.
The meeting at the Catholic Church Hall was organized by HRM Chief Ntufam Ita and was attended among others by the clergy and five other chiefs.
“It was an opportunity to encourage our people who came from Eyumojock and surrounding villages, to keep up the pressure in order for us to free all of our brothers and sisters in prison,” Balla said in a statement.
According to the Human Rights Lawyer, “We need to live like one and as a family. There can be no true development if we are in dispersed ranks. When we burn our buildings, we will at the end be trying to rebuild instead of moving ahead. We are trying to provide free legal service to secure the release of all those arrested.
Those who are on self-exile have left behind their families and we have to try to see that they return. Let us dialogue. Let us keep praying that a solution to the problem is found.”
Agbor Balla used the avenue to highlight the need for unity within the Anglophone struggle and for Anglophones to avoid violence or hate against one another.
Hear him: “We have to do all within our powers to see that everyone returns. I have not come for politics. I am a child of this area. I am from Bakwelle and Besongabang. We will always have differences but we have to learn to live together. We have to live like brothers and sisters notwithstanding the differences.
We have to find solutions to the Anglophone problem but we must avoid burning schools, businesses, and stop attacks against people. We are fighting for better life for all of us, a better economic situation for all of us, a better legal and educational system. Let us not look for solutions to our problems by trying to destroy each other.”
Agbor Balla said the following in a statement after the visit:
During the visit, our delegation consulted with the local population of Eyumojock village and some surrounding villages.
The objective was to understand the demands of our people, listen to their worries and probe further into the human rights violations which have been persistent since the start of the crisis.
We met and held discussions with several families who recounted stories of abuses they faced.
During the meeting, Our people insisted on:
1. The unconditional release of their brothers and sisters from various prisons of the national territory.
2. Safe return from exile for their brothers and sisters and other persons who fled in fear of their safety due to rumors of several names on government lists to be arrested.
3. Withdrawal of the military from the region, because there have been systematic abuses by the army and this is causing the population to live in fear.
4. Guarantee for a safe return for everyone living in refugee camps and shelters in Cross River State, Nigeria.
5. National dialogue on the root causes of the Anglophone problem as prescribed by the United Nations.
After consulting with chiefs, leaders and women, it will be of high importance for us to come together and seek a solution for our brothers, sisters, families and children in refugee camps across the border, to return home; especially because the living conditions are poor and will expose them to the risk of health problems.
For a safe return of the refugees, we will put in place a means of transportation for the first groups of people willing to return home, we also need to coordinate with the authorities in Nigeria, who have been assisting, and the Governor of South West Region must accept a safe passage at the border.
Meanwhile, for many who cannot return home, we need to mobilize and support them.