HELL was let loose on Belegete, a border community in Obanliku LGA of Cross River State, on December 5, 2023, when Ambazonia rebels from Cameroon stormed the area and unleashed unspeakable terror, killing a traditional ruler and several others in the process. This led to the displacements of over 1,000 while dozens of houses were razed. Two years after, investigation by The ICIR reveals that  about 60 percent of the displaced are yet to return home due to the absence of security, leaving the traumatised residents in limbo for fear of further attacks. 

Echoes of agony

Their tales sound like extracts from ‘Hammer House of Horror’, those British television series that graced the screens in the 1980s. Each account, with its shocking narrative and plot, evokes the kind of pathetic emotions capable of turning a sympathiser’s cheeks into an erosion of helpless tears. They bear the trappings of a common, albeit revulsive trademark: anguish!

Two years have gone by, yet the events of that fateful day are still etched on their minds through the mist and dust of remembered agonies, frustrations and even anger.

The sinews of the human artifacts may decompose and return to oblivion, but to an average Belegete resident the sinews of that black Tuesday would remain a sore spot in their memory forever.

Sunday Ashu, a student at the University of Calabar, who hails from Belegete captures the agonising essence in the aftermath of the attack poetically: “Belegete has never been the same again. Our people go to bed at night, only to dream about the horrors of the grave that closed in on the community that day. They eat-if at all they find food to eat- only to feel their gums and palates coated with the grits of that day. They breathe, only to feel the nasty odour of the charred bodies that were littered on their streets on that day…!”

Driving force of the unprovoked attack

Rampaging rebel fighters from the Republic of Cameroon, called Ambazona, had taken advantage of the porous borders and invaded this misbegotten-hard to reach- community in Obanliku LGA of Cross River State.

In the ensuing melee, the sophisticated arms wielding arsonists unleashed terror and paranoia. They held the unprotected, defenceless village hostage for over 24 hours, burnt houses, raped women and left  atleast a thousand residents displaced.

The community’s sin was that they had hosted refugees from Cameroon each time they were attacked by the separatist rebels. The terrorists, who were calling for an independent state in the southwest and northwest regions of Cameroon, had been at daggers drawn with the country’s authorities since 2017.

Findings indicate that the English-speaking regions  had repeatedly complained that they were marginalised by the majority French-speaking regions and that they were sidelined in the public sector.

In 2017, lawyers and teachers in the English-speaking regions were said to have taken to the streets to express displeasure over domination by the French-speaking majority.

Consequently, security agents responded with firearms, killing 17 protesters, a development that escalated clashes between separatists and the government, leading to over 6,000 deaths and the displacement of nearly 600,000 people.

Smaller militia groups also sprung up, making it difficult for the government of the Francophone country to negotiate with the non-state actors.

In a TikTok video that surfaced on Facebook on June 27, 2025, in the aftermath of the attack, one of the arrested terrorist leaders called “the Giant”, who was being interrogated, claimed that they were pushed into “this mess” by the political leaders of Southern Cameroon.

As the crisis festered, hundreds of undocumented migrants and refugees gained unhindered access to many Nigerian border communities through the forest areas, one of which was Belegete.

Day of the rampaging rebels

In the wake of the December 2023 attack, the Ambazonia rebels stormed Belegete, abducted a chief, Francis Ogweshi, a traditional leader in Belegete and 20 others after holding the village hostage without the intervention of the Nigerian government.

Two days after, distraught and grief-stricken residents were said to have sought the assistance of the Nigerian military to rescue the chief and other kidnapped victims in the forest.

During a search in the forest, the rebels and soldiers exchanged gunshots, leading to the death of one of the fighters. In retaliation, they killed the traditional ruler and threw his corpse in the river, where his body was discovered three days later.

While residents were still mourning the death of their chief and anticipating the return of other victims in captivity, the rebels launched a full scale onslaught on the community in a midnight raid on Friday, December 8.

They opened fire on unarmed residents, cut some with cutlasses, and burnt several houses, leading to the displacement of many, including women, children, and the elderly.

Two years after, security remains elusive as IDPs yet to return

A visit to the community revealed that two years after that horrific attack on Belegete, residents are sill living in awe and bewilderment. An many of them who had fled to take refuge elsewhere are yet to return to their homes which still lay in ruins, according to the community Laison office at the Obudu Ranch.

While some are being hosted in neighbouring LGAs across the South-South State, many who took hours of trekking along the kaleidoscope of bush paths that meander through the scary hills and mountains leading to the popular Obudu Ranch are still living as IDPs among communities around the ranch in Obanliku LGA.

One of them, Benedicta Kakwa, 47, recounted the sad memories of the incident with betrayed emotions. Her sweat-soaked face bore the furrows of sorrow as she fought back tears to narrate her plight in the wake of the deadly invasion.

Clearing the perspiration that formed on her forehead and cascaded down her cheeks with her forefinger, the former Chairman of Obanliku LGA said: “Apart from affecting us individually and collectively, our Chief was brutally killed by the rebels who took advantage of the porous border.

“There was no means to communicate with security agencies and no access road to move away from the community. Consequently, many were killed while others were abducted. Scores of others ran to neighbouring villages through the forests and became IDPs, abandoning their homes and farms.

A few months after the attack, Benedicta lost her younger sister who became sick. “Due to the absence of an access road, it was impossible to convey her in a vehicle. Instead, able bodied men were engaged carry her on their shoulders and were conveying her through the bush footpath that takes three hours of trekking to the Obudu Ranch.

“Unfortunately, she gave up the ghost midway into the journey. Her corpse was taken back to Belegete and buried on the same day due to the absence of a mortuary in the community,” Benedicta said, displaying a framed photograph of her late sister who left behind her husband and two kids.

Lamenting that hunger had taken a telling toll on the community following the attack, Benedicta said residents have abandoned their farms.

“A peak milk sized cup of Garri now sells for N500 in Belegete. There are no security presence and people are afraid of going there or moving about freely for their daily activities.”

While calling for urgent security deployment to allow IDPs return to their homes, Benedicta also made a case for GSM services in the community to enhance communication in times of security emergencies.

Atakpe Ebenezer, 47, who also hails from Belegete now resides at the Otanga community around the neighbourhood of Obudu Ranch. Following the attack in 2023 his modest compound became a refuge as it hosted about 25 immediate and extended family members who were displaced from Belegete.

“It was not easy to accommodate and cater for all of them. Even though some have returned, the situation there is still nothing to write home about,” said Ebenezer who said his Cocoa farm was destroyed during the attack.

“As I speak with you, our people are still hiding in the bushes for fear of further attacks as there is no security presence in Belegete. Some people spend one week in their farms and another at home for fear of the Ambazonia rebels.

Speaking in the same vein, Philomena Oliya, 60, said she had been taking refuge at Omana community around the Obudu Ranch since the 2023 invasion on Belegete.

“We trekked for hours up to the ranch and eventually got here with my five children. We survive by farming. I intend going back but we are afraid because the security situation is still precarious,” Oliya said, calling for government assistance to enable them to return home.

Another IDP, Esther Doctor, 50, said even though four of her seven children who ran away to Obudu for refuge in the wake of the attack had returned to Belegete, she was having sleepless nights.

“I am worried because the security situation back home is not good. There is no military presence to give us hope of full return. The rebels can come back anytime and attack us,” she said.

For Maria Akwunda, 48, she has now fully settled at Obudu and does not contemplate returning to Belegete anymore.

“In the wake of the attack, I was sick and carried on the shoulders for four hours to the hospital here in Obudu. I was later joined by my nine children. I lost my husband since 2001 and I don’t think I can go back to Belegete,” she said, battling to fight back tears.

Adebo Anthony, a 52-year-old civil servant at the Obanliku local government council said he had travelled home (Belegete) when the incident happened. “When the rebels struck, we ran to the bush with my wife and 11 children. From the bush I later took off and trekked to the ranch where my wife and children later joined me.”  

‘How we hosted Belegete IDPs at the Ranch’

At the top of the Obudu Ranch lies a sprawling community called Akoranyape. It is the first point of contact for residents of Belegete who usually trek for at least three hours to get to Obanliku and Obudu through the ranch.

Following the 2023 invasion by the rebels, the community hosted scores of displaced persons who followed this difficult footpath that terminates at the ranch.

When our reporter visited the community some IDPs who had risked going back home to fetch some food items from their abandoned farms were sighted arriving from Belegete with heavy loads on their heads.

Grace Achue who lives in a dilapidated mud house with tattered roof at Akorayape said she hosted many IDPs from Belegete following the attack.

“This community was like a marketplace, coupled with the bad weather at the time. The displaced people, among them women and children, trooped in from Belegete, mostly at night on a daily basis.

“It was difficult but we managed to keep them. Some have gone back home but many others are still dwelling within this community. They are afraid of going back to Belegete because there are fears of the possible return of the rebels from Cameroon.

Benjamin Okumo, the leader of the community said it took the grace of God and support from government agencies and spirited individuals to provide feeding for the fleeing IDPs.

“The government through its agencies provided relief materials which we gave to the IDPs. Public spirited individuals as well as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) also rose to the occasion. However, we still have some of the displaced persons here who are yet to return to Belegete because there is no security measure put in place to protect them,”Okumo said.

The Community Laison Officer of the Obudu Cattle Ranch, Esalo Anya, decried the porous security situation within the host communities of the ranch. Anya who hails from Belegete said most of the communities share borders with Cameroon, stretching from the ranch, Belegete and others.

“Unfortunately, the borders are porous without security presence to checkmate external attacks. The community has been seriously crying to government on the need to establish a security post but this has not been done.

“Secondly the topography we found ourselves in is so difficult. There are no access roads even for motorcycles, let alone vehicles. As you have seen, people access Belegete by trekking from the ranch to the hinterland.

“Added to this is the absence of GSM networks for communication. During emergencies, it is always impossible to reach out to security agencies as was the case during the 2023 Ambazonia invasion.”

According to Anya, promises made by government to provide security in the areas have not been kept.

“Following the invasion, the army and police only went there briefly to assess what was on ground and left. We need a permanent solution which includes security and access road to the community, he said.”

He disclosed that about 60 percent of the displaced persons were yet to return to Belegete because of fear of further attacks by the rebels.

Fear, anxiety still envelop Belegete communities

Without a motorable road, there are two difficult routes that lead to the hinterland of Belegete from Obanliku. One is a distance of approximately 10 kilometres from the summit of the Oudu Cattle Ranch which takes between 3-4 hours of trekking through rugged mountainous bush paths.

The other route is from Obanliku town which extends from a settlement called Boki to Belegete. Here, the journey can be undertaken on a motorcycle beginning from another village called Buatong. Even on a motorbike the rugged journey takes approximately three hours.

It was about midday when this reporter finally arrived Belegete after three hours on a motorbike. The mood and expression on the faces of residents was sill lugubrious. The first port of call was the residence of Aku Simon, who assumed responsibility in acting capacity following the murder of the Chief by the Ambazonia rebels in 2013.

“Recalling the circumstances that led to the killing of the Chief, he said, “The rebel fighters crossed a border community called Umuni to Belegete on that fateful day and kidnapped our chief. They eventually killed him and threw his corpse inside the river on the boundary. They burnt houses, including the town hall, and even raped our women and girls.

“After killing the chief, many of us ran to the ranch to take refuge for four months before returning home. Some of our people hid in the forests and remained there for six months without going to their farms. As you can see, we are still living in fear as there is no security presence. I appeal to the government to provide military personnel to protect us from further attacks.”

Ebi Julius is from Umuni, one of the Belegete communities that were burnt down by the Ambazonia rebels. Julius, who ran to the Obudu Ranch for six months before returning to Belegete, said many displaced residents were still at the ranch and surrounding communities while others were still in the forests.

“Those of us that have taken the risk to come back here are not comfortable because the Ambazonia rebels may return any moment to attack us. As you can see there is no security presence here, no access road or GSM networks to communicate in case of emergency,” he said.

Refuge in the forest

For Achue Beatrice Enya, 47, one of the forests encircling Belegete has become a ‘refuge’ for her family since the Ambazonia rebels attacked. With their house burnt during the invasion, the middle-aged woman, her husband and only son, moved to the forest where they have been hiding.

Come rain and shine, they cook, eat and keep vigil at night in the forest; hoping the Ambazonia nightmare would come to an end sooner than later. But their hope of returning to their destroyed home is fast fading as there seems to be no silver lining in the cloud with regards to the porous security situation in the community.

Shaking her head to dodge the smoke that surged from the fireplace toward her face Beatrice said, “This has become our home. We relocated here with my husband and son when our house was razed by the rebels. We sleep on a mat, the risk of mosquitoes, snakes and other reptiles from the forest notwithstanding. My husband and son have gone to the nearby stream to have their bath….”

Beatrice is not the only displaced family in Belegete that is still hiding in the bushes and forests. The ICIR gathered that many residents in similar situation were yet to return to their abandoned yet destroyed homes.

A cross section of residents of Belegete, mostly women, who spoke with The ICIR, expressed deep worries over their plight, calling on the relevant authorities to come to their assistance by way of resettlement. While some decried the absence of security and basic infrastructure in the area others who had ran to neighbouring communities said even though they returned home they were still gripped by fear and anxiety.

‘We’re sitting on keg of gunpowder’

The Chairman of Obanliku LGA, Sunny Kayang, said the Ambazonia invasion, which was unprovoked, left the entire area in “rude shock, demoralised and dampened in spirit.”

“In the wake of that unprovoked attack, the people of Belegete were dispossessed of their land and houses. They had no places to put their heads as houses were razed.

“Consequently, the people fled for their lives to other places across the state where they became refugees.

“Due to the poor security architecture we have, these so-called Ambazonia come in freely, harass, intimidate, assault, rape our wives and daughters.

“We have been so constrained that I cannot act because it is only a foolish man that can challenge and argue with someone with a gun whose finger is on the trigger.”

While appealing to the Nigerian government to beef up security in Belegete and put in place what he called an ‘Amphibious military barracks’, the chief security officer of the LGA said: “If government fails to do this, the tendency that they would expand their nefarious activities in the nearest future is large.

“We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder. The federal government should use her might to give us protection to prevent what happened in the Bakassi Pennisula which we eventually lost to Cameroon. The FG flag must fly very high in Belegete,” he said.

The member representing Obanliku in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Ashakia Pius Ashas, decried the situation in Belegete, and called for urgent security attention.

Confirming that many of the displaced persons were still seeking refuge elsewhere across the state, Ashas said, “They need to be resettled and rehabilitated. Government should do something because the people are still living in fear. So long as the Ambazonia crisis in Cameroon is not yet over, the tendency for the rebels to come back for further attacks is there.”

The ICIR reports that following the attack, the then Director General of Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), James Anam, said the agency had not only written to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA and the Red Cross, but to the Chief of Army Staff on the dire need to establish special security outfits in Belegete and other borderline communities.

When contacted, the current DG of SEMA, Gill Atinga, a pastor, said in the wake of the attack the state government collaborated with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in the provision of relief materials.

“Through that collaboration, the IDP’s were provided with support in the form food, clothing and other forms of relief material to alleviate their pains.”

The Programme Manager of Refugee Intervention, Hillary Ajida, however, said the UNCHR has disengaged from the collaboration following the withdrawal of funding by President Donald Trump.

“Following the attack, the UNHCR supported our relief intervention efforts, including the Red Cross. However, the Trump’s policy led to the partial withdrawal of the UNHCR,” Ajida said, stressing that the issues of food supplies, health and security still pose a serious challenge.

Responding to the situation, the Cross River State Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, said the state government had risen to the occasion by providing the necessary relief to the victims.

He, however, decried the difficult terrain in accessing Belegete community, pointing out that this was affecting sustained military presence in the area.

“Following the invasion soldiers were deployed there but due to the difficult terrain, occasioned by snakes and reptiles, they started complaining,” he said.

According to him, the Deputy Governor of Cross River State had held talks with his counterpart from the neighbouring country as part of efforts to address the problem.

Obono Ubi, the Chief Security Adviser to the Cross River State Governor, declined comments when contacted on phone to speak on the matter.