STANDING at an elevation of over 1,800 meters, the Mambilla Plateau offers panoramic views that stretch for miles in every direction. Its rolling hills, lush green pastures, and charming villages create a unique picturesque landscape. The Plateau, which shares borders with Cameroon, is a treasure trove of natural beauty, cultural richness, and economic opportunities. However, beyond the peaks, scenic beauty, and potential to become a premier tourist destination in Nigeria, The ICIR unravels the dark side that underscores the paradox of the Plateau’s hidden gems and misbegotten communities.
Travelling through ‘hell’
The journey from Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State to Gembu, the headquarters of Sardauna LGA on the Mambilla Plateau, should be less than four hours. But it takes between seven to eight hours depending on the type of vehicle. No thanks to the bad road, coupled with the plethora of checkpoints.
For first time visitors, the 376 km road to Gembu through Bali and Gashaka is a gruelling test of endurance. Potholes, some as deep as sinkholes, pockmark the asphalt, which has long given up its battle against the elements. The surface resembles a rugged, unforgiving terrain, with jagged edges and uneven slabs of asphalt that jolt vehicles mercilessly.
As vehicles navigate the treacherous stretch, the rhythmic thud-thud-thud of wheels hitting potholes becomes a constant companion. The air is thick with the sound of scraping metal, straining engines, and the occasional loud complaint from frazzled passengers.
Dust devils swirl around the vehicles, coating everything in a fine, choking layer of dirt. The sun beats down relentlessly, offering no respite from the heat. The smell of burning rubber and gasoline hangs heavy over the landscape. In the rainy season, the road transforms into a muddy, slippery nightmare. Vehicles struggle to gain traction, wheels spinning futilely as they sink into the mire. The risk of accidents looms large, and the mere thought of breakdowns or skidding into a pothole fills every passenger with dread.
Beyond the poor state of the road lies a bigger challenge: security checkpoints. They dot the landscape, each one a potential minefield for commuters. Agents, often in worn-out uniforms, flag down vehicles with a mix of authority and expectation. At each checkpoint, the ritual plays out: agents scrutinise documents, question travellers, and inspect cargo. But the underlying message is clear – “pay up or face delays.” Commercial drivers, aware of the game, try to negotiate, hoping to minimise the “transaction fee.” Other commuters, fearful of repercussions, hand over money without question.
The extortion is veiled, often disguised as “settlement” or “dash.” But the reality is stark: security agents leveraging their positions for personal gain, leaving commuters feeling vulnerable and exploited. The practice perpetuates a cycle of poverty and mistrust, further straining relations between security forces and the communities they’re meant to protect.
As vehicles navigate the potholed roads, they are forced to factor in the added costs – financial and emotional – of these encounters. The journey becomes a test of endurance, with security checkpoints serving as reminders of the systemic challenges plaguing the region.
From Gembu to the hinterlands
If you are proceeding from Gembu to the rural-border communities, you are in for another round of ordeal. The journey to the rural communities within the Mambilla Plateau is an arduous odyssey. The road, barely passable, winds its way through the rugged terrain, testing the mettle of even the sturdiest vehicles. Potholes, craters, and jagged rocks stretch out like obstacles in a minefield, threatening to puncture tires or shatter axles at every turn.
The surface, is a muddy quagmire during the rainy season, sucking wheels into its grasp like quicksand. Vehicles and motorcycles struggle to gain traction, inching forward in a slow, agonising dance. The sound of scraping metal, straining engines, and frustrated shouts fills the air.
As travellers navigate this unforgiving terrain, the scenery offers little comfort. The landscape is a mix of rolling hills, steep inclines, and sharp bends, with vegetation growing wild and untamed alongside the road. The air is cool and misty, but the road conditions make every journey feel like an adventure – or an ordeal.
Commuters face a constant battle against fatigue, injuries, and potential accidents. Breakdowns are common, leaving passengers stranded in the middle of nowhere, exposed to the elements and the uncertainties of the road. Yet, despite these challenges, the people of Mambilla persevere, driven by necessity, resilience, and a deep connection to their community. The road may be harsh, but their determination remains unbroken.
Key facts about the Mambilla Plateau
Located in the highland region of Taraba State, the Mambilla Plateau is a majestic destination that boasts breathtaking landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and abundant wildlife, making it an ideal spot for nature lovers, adventure seekers, and cultural enthusiasts.
Accessed from Gembu, headquarters of Sardauna LGA, the Plateau stands at an elevation of over 1,800 meters, offering panoramic views that stretch for miles. Its rolling hills, lush green pastures, and charming villages create a picturesque landscape. It also houses the famous Chappal Waddi mountain considered the highest point in Nigeria with an average height of about 2,419 metres (7,936 ft) above sea level.
Being among Nigeria’s top tourist destinations, the Plateau which attracts visitors from different parts of the country and beyond, has one of the best weather conditions in the country which is cool and always accommodating all year round.
The famous Highland Tea is also found there. Livestock like cow, goats, sheep and other rare birds thrive on the Plateau, including natural forests that are home to very rare species of birds and trees which have attracted lots of researchers from around the world.
Signed plebiscite, broken promises
Historical accounts record that in the early sixties, the people of the area now known as the Mambilla Plateau (then part of the British-administered Northern Cameroons) participated in a United Nations-supervised plebiscite to decide whether to join the Federation of Nigeria or the Republic of Cameroon. The majority voted in favour of joining Nigeria, and the territory was formally integrated on 1 June 1961.
Although there is no official record of any formal conditions attached to the vote, local oral histories and later writings suggest that many of the people expected that joining Nigeria would bring development opportunities including better roads, schools, and greater political inclusion. They were also assured, through political campaigns and local leaders, that they would enjoy equal treatment and participation in national affairs.
Over time, many on the Mambilla Plateau have expressed disappointment that these expectations have not been fully realised.
“We lack almost everything. There is no good road network. No higher institution, and our people are not partakers of the national cake,” laments Saleh Alhaji Aabubakar, the district head and acting third-class chief of Mbamga chiefdom.
The chiefdom comprising eight districts, each headed by a village chief called Mbon.
The royal father who took The ICIR through memory lane, said: “In Mambila Plateau as a whole, we joined Nigeria through a plebiscite in the early 60s by vote. We chose to join Nigeria based on certain conditions that were entered into by our forefathers with the Nigerian government.
“Today is more than 60 years and none of the conditions has been put in place. We have been faced with a lot of challenges; lacking almost everything. We are cut off from the Nigerian government, “he said.
He underscored the economic and tourism potentials of the Mambilla Pleteau, while decrying the neglect of the border communities by successive governments.
“There are a lot of things that government needs to do there. Naturally, you savour the weather and the terrain which is good for tourism. There is need for government to come and develop that place that will attract tourists all over the world.
“I have not been to Obudu, but people said the Mambilla Plateau is almost like the Obudu Cattle Ranch in terms of tourism potentials. Government can transform that place,” he said.
Echoes of anguish
A visit round the communities on the mountains and valleys of the Plateau, however, reveal that they are far from development. Across its major border settlements of Dorofi, Kan-Iyaka, Yerimaru, Tamnya, Mbamga, Mayo-Ndaga and Njimtilo, the visible scars of neglect have given rise to echoes of lamentation. Consequently, there is a boom in illicit economic activities across the borders, including smuggling.
Like other border communities in Nigeria, locals say they are only remembered by politicians during electioneering campaign period. The timeless Chinese adage that, “Civilisation follows the road” holds no essence there as there are no access roads. Other essential infrastructure such as hospitals and schools are also lacking, leading to the communities relying more on such amenities from Cameroon.
Mike Nyako, a businessman based in Mbamga said, “Our greatest challenge here is lack of motorable roads. We convey goods, patients and corpses to Gembu on bikes even as there are no hospitals and doctors. Added to these is the absence of good schools, running water and electricity. If the federal government fails to do something, scores will continue to migrate to Cameroon where they enjoy these facilities.”
Yuguda Mairiga, a resident of Mbamga, also harped on the importance of roads on the Plateau among other amenities. “There are no motorable roads. We also need a big hospital as we travel to Gembu and Cameroon for treatment. We lack schools even as we get water from dams,” Mairiga said.
Elsewhere at a village called Mbamga Petel, Saidu Umaru, a 65-year-old cobbler ensconced in his cage-like workshop, re-echoed the absence of a motorable road as the major challenge confronting communities on the Mambilla. “We are basically farmers and traders but have no good roads to convey our farm produce to the markets,” he said, his sweat-soaked face bearing the furros of sorrow.
Ismaila Musa, another resident of Mbamga Petel said, “As a maize farmer, I convey my produce on head to the market for sale due to the absence of motorable roads. Hardship and lack of amenities have forced our children to move into Cameroon in search of opportunities. I personally have three children who are in Cameroon in search of means of survival.”
If you have visited one primary or secondary school in communities on the Mambilla, you have visited them all. They stand as a testament to neglect and abandonment, with crumbling walls that bear the scars of time and harsh weather. While most of the buildings are in mudbricks others have faded paints peeling off in strips. There are leaky roofs and broken windows-some gaping like empty eye-sockets, allowing birds to fly in and out at will.
Inside, the classrooms are a mess and the floors creak beneath your feet. Chalkboards are cracked and worn smooth. Desks, where available, are broken, their wooden slats splintered and uneven. Even the floors bear the scars of years of neglect with yawning cracks. Despite these challenges, the schools still hum with the whispers of eager students who trek from miles away with hope and determination.
Roselyn Wamba, Assistant Head Teacher at the Mbamga Petel Primary School said each class is overcrowded with up to seventy students. “There are only five teachers here with poor learning facilities. No first aid box, sports and sanitation facilities,” she laments.
At Bang, a border community which is fifteen minutes drive to Cameroon, Wakili Dahiru, a resident said, “We are suffering from lack of portable water, hospitals and schools. Our major challenge is lack of good road. We convey patients on shoulders to Cameroon and other places. Two of such patients died recently while being conveyed for treatment. We drink water from the streams with animals. Government has abandoned us-hence our children troop to Cameroon in search of what to do.”
Speaking in the same vein, Ibrahim Kaka, the Sarkin Hausawa of Hainare, said the lack of roads, water and medical facilities are their greatest worries. “We convey the sick on bikes and shoulders to Gembu. Most of our youths have moved into Cameroon where they enjoy these amenities and look for daily bread.
“There is no secondary school here. For over ten years, secondary classes are held in a crowded primary school. There is no government presence; we have been abandoned by government and our political representatives who only come during campaigns to curry our votes.”
The story is no different at other border communities visited on the Mambilla Plateau, including Dorofi and Mayo Dule. Jauro Gidado Modibbo, who spoke with The ICIR in Dorofi said, “We really don’t know whether we are still in Nigeria. We are cut off, no road, no GSM network and hospitals. We are by the border and these amenities lacking here are found in Cameroon. This is why many of our youths go there to stay. Our children are educated but idleness make them to cross over to Cameroon.”
At Mayo Dule, Ardo Dini Usman lamented that about 75 per cent of their youths were in Cameroon, adding that many have abandoned schooling. The only secondary school we have here was built by the National Boundary Commission (NBC). We live in darkness here due to lack of electricity. Ironically, these amenities we lack here are found in border communities on the Cameroonian side.”
Fuel smuggling
Findings by The ICIR indicate that the bad state of the roads linking communities on the Mambilla Plateau, coupled with the poor state of infrastructure has forced youths to go into smuggling activities. Majorly, they smuggle petroleum products through the porous borders into Cameroon where they attract higher prices.
There are seven major border points between Nigeria and Cameroon within the Mambilla Plateau of Sardauna LGA in Taraba State. These are: Dorofi, Kan-Iyaka, Yerimaru, Tamnya, Mbamga, Mayo Ndaga and Njimtilo.
Large scale coordinated smuggling activities take place at these border areas, especially at Kan-Iyaka where the illicit activity has persisted for over a decade.
Local sources told The ICIR that while fuel is transported in bulk from Port Harcourt, only a small portion is reportedly offloaded within the local government area, with the remainder believed to be taken across the nearby border into Cameroon through informal routes. They gave them number that only two out of every 50 trucks are offloaded.
Along the multiple ‘illegal’ checkpoints leading to Cameroon through the border communities, security agents exploit the smugglers with extortion. It was gathered that while each truck smuggling fuel is made to part with N50,000, motorcycles loaded with the commodity pay between N1,000 to N2,000 at each checkpoint.
The ICIR was informed that some traditional rulers are also involved in the extortion as they collect N10,000 per fuel-laden vehicle as “traditional council clearance”.
The district head of Mbamga, Abubakar, denied this allegation. He, however, said, “What we are trying to do is to introduce some gates and collect some ‘maintenance tolls’ from the smugglers who spoil the road after we engage our community members to repair.”
A youth involed in fuel smuggling, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised, said, “Many of us completed lower schools but we idle around because there is no money to go further and no job to do. We are left with no option than to go into smuggling.”
“Customs officials and other security agents confiscate petrol from us and demand bribes before they release.
Ray of hope?
Amid lamentations the people on the Mambilla communities are, nonetheless, appreciative of the Federal Government for awarding a contract for the road from Gembu through Mbamga. While accusing their state and federal lawmakers of not attracting development to their communities, they lauded the effort of a prominent son of the area whom they said influenced the road project.
The district head of Mbamga, Abubakar said, “We are so happy and proud with the present administration recognising us and approving the construction of the road from Gembu down to the border through Mbamga Chiefdom which will open that place.
“As you travelled down to Mbamga, you must have seen them working on the road. The government has signed a contract of over 71 billion which in the history of this area, nobody or government has ever done that to us. Also, the Taraba State government has introduced free education and established the State University of Agriculture and Climate Change, Science and Technology on the Mambila Plateau. It’s just a new university that has been passed into law by the present governor. We are so happy and overwhelmed.
“None of the previous administrations keyed into it but the current one was able to do so with the federal government. So, we are now seeing a ray of hope being part of Nigeria. But like I earlier said, apart from the road and the school they have brought, we are faced with a lot of challenges in terms of social amenities,” the royal father said.
Bakari Umar, a retired senior civil servant, who worked on a United Nations Resettlement Committee on the Mambilla Plateau in 2002, called for a needs assessment team on the development of each of the communities.
“This is important to find out what projects are most suitable to them based on their own challenges,” he said, adding: “Once that is done using local contractors for the various projects, I think everything will be okay.”
Describing smuggling within the border communities on the Plateau as “serious”, he said the problem is difficult to solve because: “There is a connivance between the community and the customs officials.”
Umar Muhammed, the chairman of Sardauna LGA, failed to respond to inquiries on the issues relating to our findings. He initially promised to speak to the issues but failed to respond to calls and text messages afterwards.
Mambilla Plateau is work in progress – Taraba SSG
The Secretary to the Taraba State Government (SSG), Timothy Gibon Kataps, admitted that the challenges in Taraba were enormous, “but gradually we will get there.”
He said, “The federal government is already doing the road from Gembu to the border. They are done with the bridge, and I am sure after the rains the work will speed up. “Government has also remobilised contractors to return to all roads that were started and I believe we will get somewhere.
“Similarly, government is looking at the issue of water. The governor recently had a townhall meeting to hear directly from the people. So, it is work in progress. As you know Taraba is the third largest state in Nigeria after Niger and Borno.”
Commenting on the issue of smuggling, Kataps said, “We have security operatives all over there. So, it depends on what is smuggled and what is not. If the security operatives allow them to pass, that means it is no longer smuggling. About two or three months ago, the Customs reportedly confiscated fuel products along the border, so I believe the security agencies are equally working on that.”
Fidelis Mac-Leva is the Deputy Editor of The ICIR/Head of Investigation. He has previously worked with several media outfits in Nigeria, including DAILY TIMES and DAILY TRUST. A compellingly readable Features writer, his forte is Public Interest Journalism which enables him to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comforted..." He can be reached via fmacleva@icirnigeria.org, @FidelisLeva on X