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Tag: Cameroon

  • Samuel Eto’o in paternity lawsuit puzzle

    Samuel Eto’o in paternity lawsuit puzzle

    Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o is facing a new court paternity lawsuit over an alleged lovechild now 20 years old.

    Cape Verde-born Adileusa do Rosario Neves is fighting to have the former Chelsea and Barcelona striker recognised as the father of her 20 year old daughter Erika.

    Adileusa’s lawyer Fernando Osuna confirmed on Tuesday that the hearing would take place at a Madrid court on April 24.

    The lawsuit presented by Adileusa says she fell pregnant after meeting Eto’o – now playing for Qatar SC – in a nightclub in the Spanish capital in 1997 when he was at Leganes on loan from Real Madrid.

    She claims Eto’o, 37, who has six recognised children with four different women including his wife Georgette, told her he would ‘act responsibly’ soon after she broke the news but then cut off all contact with her.

    Erika was born in November 1999 in a hospital in the Spanish capital. It was not immediately clear on Tuesday if Eto’o has agreed to a voluntary DNA test.

    Adileusa’s lawyer Fernando Osuna, who has been fighting to get veteran crooner Julio Iglesias to admit he is the father of a 40-year-old Spaniard, said when he launched his court fight against Eto’o that he would ask for a DNA sample.

    Osuna said the court would decide after the hearing whether it agreed to Erika’s request for a maintenance allowance as an interim measure while it continues to study the paternity claim

    He said: ‘Samuel Eto’o has been summoned to the hearing and it will be open to the press and public.

    ‘It’s not yet clear if he will attend as he is abroad. He has been asked to attend by a legal representative he had when he was living in Majorca.

  • Court declares FG’s deportation of 47 Cameroonian activists illegal

    Court declares FG’s deportation of 47 Cameroonian activists illegal

    A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday declared as illegal and unconstitutional, the deportation of 47 Cameroonians from Nigeria on January 26, 2018.

    The judge, Anwuli Chikere, also granted all the reliefs as prayed by the key Cameroonian separatist leader, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, and 46 others who were deported from Nigeria after their arrest in Abuja.

    The applicants who are Cameroonian citizens seeking asylum in Nigeria were abducted at Nera hotels in Abuja on January 7, 2018, while they were assembled at the said venue for a meeting.

    They were subsequently detained by the National Security Agency at an underground detention center in Abuja without access to their families, lawyers and doctors.

    They had approached the court through two separate suits with number FHC/ABJ/CS/ 85/ 2018 and FHC/ABJ/CS/ 147/ 2018 respectively.

    In her judgement on Friday, Mrs Chikere agreed with the counsel representing the applicants, Femi Falana, saying that the Nigerian government lacks the power to deport refugees and asylum seekers from the country.

    Mrs Chikere however granted all the reliefs sought in both suits and awarded N5 million to each of the applicants in the first suit while in the second suit granted N200, 000 to each of the applicants.

    Apart from awarding the damages to each applicant, Mrs Chikere ordered the federal government to ensure that the deportees are brought back to Nigeria forthwith.

    Meanwhile Mr Ayuk, the president of a self-declared Ambazonia state, made up of English-speaking part of Cameroon, was one of 15 people whom Cameroon issued an international arrest warrant for in November 2017.

    The Nigerian government is yet to react to the ruling but has the options of appealing or obeying the judgement.

    The Cameroonian government has carried out large scale repressions on the English speaking part of the country.

  • Show evidence I am from Cameroon, Atiku tells Nnamdi Kanu

    Show evidence I am from Cameroon, Atiku tells Nnamdi Kanu

    The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has called on the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu to show evidence that he (Atiku) is from Cameroon.

    Recall that Kanu during a broadcast on Saturday, alleged that Atiku, a former Vice-president, is from Cameroon and not a Nigerian.

    “Do you know that Atiku Abubakar is from Cameroon? His area of Adamawa was in Cameroon,” Kanu said.

    However, Atiku in a statement by his media aide Ibe Paul challenged Kanu to show the proof that his principal is from the Central African nation.

    “You media should ask him to supply the proof. It is not the man that is being accused that you will ask,” the statement noted.

    “It is the person who made the allegations that you will ask to bring his proof of where he (Atiku) is from or where he is not from.”

    According to findings, up till 59 years ago, Atiku’s area of Adamawa was in Cameroon.

    Gada was the headquarters of British Cameroon and included Jada, Atiku’s birthplace.

    However, after a plebiscite, it decided to stay with Nigeria and became part of the Sardauna Province with the other part, joining Cameroon.

    In addition, Kanu reiterated his call on “Biafrans” not to vote during the 2019 election.

    “By voting, all you are doing is perpetuating the misery of our people,” he added.

    “To vote in the zoo means to endorse 1999 fraudulent constitution. By voting, all you are doing is perpetuating the misery of our people.”

    According to him, “Those pressuring me to call off the election boycott know what to do, sign that document I gave to you and I will call off the election boycott, you know what the document contains.”

  • 35,000 Nigerians seeking refuge in Cameroon – UN

    The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) says 35,000 Nigerians seeking refuge in Cameroon are safe.

    The UN refugee agency said the estimated 35,000 Nigerians had fled across the north-eastern border into Cameroon in the last two weeks of January.

    There had been concerns about the possible forceful ejection of the Nigerian refugees in Cameroon as the country had threatened severally.

    There are also several thousands of Cameroonian refugees hosted across Nigeria.

    “For now, the 35,000 Nigerian refugees are safe in Cameroon, although many are once again putting themselves at risk by returning to Rann on foot, to collect a few personal possessions which were not looted or burnt,” UNHCR said.

    The UN agency said the people had fled Rann in the last two weeks after Boko Haram extremist fighters repeatedly attacked the town.

    “The outlawed terrorist group has been active in this impoverished corner of north-east Nigeria for over a decade. Thousands of people not just in Nigeria but over the border in Cameroon and Chad, have been killed, many summarily executed.

    “The livelihoods of tens of thousands of others have been destroyed in the insurgency, as regional governments struggle to put an end to the ongoing violence.

    “The refugees left Rann following the recent withdrawal of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) which came to secure the city after an attack on January 14.

    “The MNJTF was set up by the affected countries – Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Benin – to counter Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups which are gaining ground across the Lake Chad region,” UNHCR said.

    Speaking on a visit to Goura in Cameroon on Friday, the UN Resident Coordinator in Cameroon, Allegra Baiocchi said: “I have seen many fearful people here, whose lives have been destroyed by Boko Haram.

    “The people who came here really had no choice. This is where they need to be now if they want to stay alive.”

    The United Nations and its partners have responded to the sudden influx into Goura by providing basic services in what is now a makeshift refugee settlement.

    Some 13,000 people have received food ratios and each registered refugee is getting six litres of clean water a day, some way below the recommended 15 litres minimum.

    The UNHCR top official in Cameroon, Geert de Casteele said in Goura that: “The response from humanitarian workers here has been impressive in what is an extremely challenging environment.

    “We need to scale up the response keeping in mind the local population; that is the next step and I am hopeful we can achieve, with increased funding.”

    In January, the UN, in coordination with the Government and aid partners, announced its 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan which focuses on the whole of the country, including areas affected by Boko Haram.

    Around 4.3 million Cameroonians, mostly women and children, are now in need of lifesaving assistance, according to the UN.

  • Oshiomhole attacks Obasanjo for ceding Bakassi to Cameroon

    The national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole on Wednesday lashed out at former President Olusegun Obasanjo for ceding Bakassi to Cameroon.

    He spoke at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar, the Cross River State capital, after handing over the governorship flag to Senator John Owan-Enoh.

    According to the party chair, the country will never forgive the past president for handing over Bakassi because he allegedly wanted a Nobel Peace Prize.

    According to him, such prize was not for traitors or opportunists, but for those who have worked hard for the development of humanity.

    “The only thing I want to remind the people of Cross River is that never ever can you afford to forget a Nigerian leader, in the person of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who ceded part of Cross River State to Cameroon, because he was pursuing a Nobel Peace Prize.

    “He (Obasanjo) handed over Nigerian territory to a foreign country and induced Nigerians to become refugees. Obasanjo has ceded our community to Cameroon. We can never forgive him. Nigeria will never forgive him.

    “There is no statesman in the modern world that would voluntarily cede part of his territory to a foreign country. That crime committed by Olusegun Oabsanjo, if we are too weak to punish him, history will punish him because no leader gives away his household and sell them to slavery. If it is something that can be revised, the president has enough courage to do everything that your predecessor said was not possible.

    “Those who preside over the award of Nobel Peace Prize, they do not give it to traitors. They give it to people who have worked hard to add to various spheres of human endeavor. It is not for traitors, opportunists and certainly not for those who bastardize their fatherland. This is the only message I have on today’s occasion.”

    Acting State Chairman of the APC in the state, Sir John Ochala, said the state was fed up with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration in the state, which he alleged has destroyed the development of state.

    Expressing confidence that the APC will win the state in the next elections, the party chairman called on the President to call the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, also laying claim to the governorship ticket of the party, to order.

    Ochala said the number of the teeming supporters at the rally showed the acceptance of the APC in the state, outstanding development of infrastructure in the state by the Federal Government cannot go unnoticed.

    “Unfortunately we cannot say this of Cross River State because it is not well led. There is a near lack of governance in the state. Cross River State has degenerated.

    “Once acclaimed as the cleanest in the state it is no longer so. Investors have been chased out because of irrational and multiple tax regime of the government. Pensioners are hungry and dying due to non-payment of their pension arrears and gratuity.

    “The bail out given to the state by your government has been bailed to unknown quarters. Local government system is near collapse due to failure to conduct local government election and failure to pay salary arrears.

    “These, among others, are the reasons there is a growing sense of disenchantment by the people, who are clamouring for a change. The Super Highway project commissioned by you is one of the phantom projects of this administration.

    “There are other phony projects. Governance in Cross River has been reduced to a joke. We have a corrupt and clueless government. Indeed Cross River is in a state of political and economic emergency. The good news is that APC has come out with the very best in the person of John Owan-Enoh. Better days are ahead with John Owan-Enoh.

    “Mr President, I would like to draw your attention to a major distraction to an otherwise easy victory for us at the polls. This distraction is caused by your cabinet member. We call on you to use your good office to call him to order.”

    National Vice Chairman, Southsouth of the APC, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, said the people of the state were grateful to the President for being gracious towards them and would express their appreciation at the polls.

    Senator Owan-Enoh thanked the President for the visit.

    “We thank president for the rally and let me say that Cross River people and APC would not forget this day. On February 16, the president would win in Cross River. On the second of March, we would elect an APC administration for Cross River. The broom revolution that started in 2015 is berthing in Cross River in 2019.”

     

  • Displacement of 30,000 people from Nigeria to Cameroon alarming – NRC

    Displacement of 30,000 people from Nigeria to Cameroon alarming – NRC

    Eric Batonon, Country Director in Nigeria for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has said the displacement of 30,000 people from Nigeria to Cameroon is alarming.

    Batonon in a statement on Wednesday said, “The women, men, and children fleeing are not opportunists; they are civilians fleeing for their lives”.

    The statement reads: “The Norwegian Refugee Council is alarmed by the massive displacement of 30,000 people from the Nigerian town of Rann into Cameroon, less than one week after 9,000 Nigerians fled a deadly attack in the city.

    “Last week, the Nigerian refugees who had crossed into Cameroon, were forced to return.

    “We call for Cameroon to keep its borders open. It is crucial that the Nigerian and Cameroonian authorities offer assistance to those fleeing the violence, in compliance with international agreements and the Tripartite agreement signed between the two countries and the UNHCR. The women, men, and children fleeing are not opportunists; they are civilians fleeing for their lives.

    “Since November 2018, there has been a steep surge in displacement in northeast Nigeria, triggered by a spike in attacks. More than 100,000 people have been forced to flee, many for the second time. This is creating vast humanitarian needs and stretching the capacity of already congested camps and sites across the region.

    “However, by denying assistance and protection to those fleeing, needs are exacerbated and affected communities will continue to rely on humanitarian assistance.

    “The humanitarian community launched a plan this week to assist 2.5 million people displaced across the Lake Chad Basin. The Norwegian Refugee Council calls for donor countries to step up their support to countries in the region hosting a large number of refugees and displaced people”.

     

  • Don’t evict Nigerian refugees, UN tells Cameroon

    The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed grave concerns over plans by Cameroon to evict thousands of Nigerian refugees to Borno.

    UNHCR said it deplored the reported move that Cameroon was forcing several thousand Nigerians to return to Borno, adding, it has put the lives of the refugees “at risk”.

    Cameroon is currently home to more than 370,000 refugees, including some 100,000 from Nigeria, according to UNHCR.

    “We are gravely concerned for the safety and well-being of all these people”, said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

    The UN refugee agency said on January 16, 267 Nigerian refugees, who had crossed into Cameroon in 2014, were forcibly returned.

    It regretted that at dusk on January 14, militants attacked and ransacked the border town of Rann, about 10 kilometers from the Cameroon border.

    UNHCR said that at least 14 people were reportedly killed and an estimated 9,000 fled to Cameroon.

    Grandi said: “This action was totally unexpected and puts lives of thousands of refugees at risk.

    “I am appealing to Cameroon to continue its open door and hospitable policy and practices and halt immediately any more returns and to ensure full compliance with its refugee protection obligations under its own national legislation, as well as international law”.

    North-eastern Nigeria has been particularly hard-hit by the insurgency being waged in the region since 2009, the UN said.

    Meanwhile, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon, has said the deadly attack interrupted aid delivery to some 76,000 internally displaced people in Rann.

    Kallon said the attackers looted or destroyed a medical clinic, humanitarian supply warehouses and aid workers’ accommodations, and burned down the nearby market and camp shelters.

  • BREAKING! CAF withdraws AFCON 2019 hosting rights from Cameroon

    BREAKING! CAF withdraws AFCON 2019 hosting rights from Cameroon

    There are reports that Confederation of African Football (CAF) has withdrawn the hosting of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from Cameroon.

    It was learnt that the decision was taken at the CAF Extraordinary Executive Committee meeting held in Accra, Ghana on Friday.

    It was gathered that the decision was taken after a report by the last inspection team to Cameroon stating that there is “a significant delay as far as the delivery of infrastructure is concerned.”

    Details later…

  • Over 30,000 Cameroonian refugees arrive Nigeria – UN

    The number of Cameroonians fleeing violence and seeking refuge in Nigeria has crossed the 30,000-mark, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has said.

    Mr Babar Baloch, a spokesperson for UNHCR, highlighted that the needs on the ground to cater for the refugees in Nigeria were outpacing donor efforts.

    Baloch said reports indicated that scores of people had been killed in English-speaking areas of Cameroon and thousands forced from their homes, including many who have sought refuge in Nigeria.

    He said the situation was particularly worrying for women and children – accounting for close to 80 per cent of arrivals – and most refugees are sheltering in Nigeria’s south eastern areas, hosted by local communities.

    The UNHCR boss said the refugee agency was facilitating voluntary relocation of refugees to settlements in Cross River and Benue provinces, which provide better security, shelter and access to essential services.

    “Currently, more than 9,000 Cameroonian refugees have been moved to new settlements, where they receive food as well as essential items such as mattresses, mosquito nets, stoves and cooking utensils, as well as equipment to build shelters,” Baloch said.

    The UNHCR spokesperson added that women and girls were also being provided with dignity kits, including among other items, buckets, soap and towels.

    In some instances, cash assistance is provided to enable refugees buy food directly from the markets in host communities, helping facilitate the integration of those forced to flee and those welcoming them, he stated.

    “However, despite the work of UNHCR and other aid organizations, the needs are far from being met and there are several challenges, including education opportunities for refugee children.

    “The rainy season and harsh road conditions to remote areas makes the assistance to the refugees outside of the newly-developed settlement very difficult, with acute needs for food, shelter, water and sanitation,” he said.

    Baloch explained that discussions were ongoing with the Government for improved access to the displaced population.

    The spokesperson for the UN refugee agency said many of those who had fled so far, had to rely on trails and informal paths to make the crossing, as official border entry points remained closed.

    Together with their partners, UNHCR staff are present at access points often used by refugees to assess the situation and the needs of new arrivals, Baloch added.

    “People are telling us they were ordered to leave their houses due to increasing violence in their home areas,” he said.

    Baloch said violence in Cameroon’s primarily English-speaking north-west and south-west areas has worsened over the past year and recent violence uptick followed clashes between armed groups and security forces.

    NAN

  • Buhari congratulates Cameroon’s Biya on inauguration for another term

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday congratulated President Paul Biya of Cameroon on his inauguration for another term in office.

    In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President commended Biya for sustaining the good neighbourliness existing between the two countries.

    Buhari said he looked forward to enhanced relations between the governments of the two countries.

    The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari felicitates with President Paul Biya on his inauguration on Tuesday for another term of office following his victory in the October 7, 2018 presidential election.

    “The Nigerian leader commends his Cameroonian counterpart for sustaining the long history of good neighbourliness with Nigeria and cooperating in the current push against Boko Haram insurgents.

    “As the Cameroonian leader begins a new tenure, President Buhari wishes him success and looks forward to enhanced relations between the governments and peoples of both countries.”