A Nigerian intelligence official on Sunday denied arresting Cameroon separatists in Abuja, after a rebel movement said its top leaders had been “abducted by gunmen”. Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the president of the anglophone separatist movement in Cameroon, was arrested during a meeting on Friday, January 5, in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja, according to a statement by the separatists.

“At around 19:30, the gunmen came into the hotel and abducted all of them including the president,” said Chris Anu, secretary of communications for the putative state of Ambazonia. Local news reports in Nigeria said Tabe had been taken into custody by the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria’s intelligence agency.

But the DSS denied arresting Tabe in Abuja, saying instead that in late December they arrested Cameroonians in eastern Taraba state who were suspected of being involved with the separatist movement. “There is nothing like that,” a top DSS official told AFP, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

“There is no arrest of their people in Abuja,” he said. “There was a joint operation carried out in Taraba on the 31st of December 2017 where Cameroonians were arrested,” he said.

“We saw most of them as refugees but when the Cameroonian authorities heard of the arrest, they protested to the inspector general of police that those people arrested were part of the people giving them trouble as secessionists.”

Tabe is pushing for Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions to break away from the francophone country. On October 1, the breakaway movement issued a symbolic declaration of independence for “Ambazonia”. President Paul Biya fiercely opposes secession and has met the agitation with a crackdown, including curfews, raids and restrictions on travel.

International monitors say at least 20 and possibly 40 people have been killed in clashes since late September, though the Biya government fiercly disputes the death toll. The anglophone minority dates to the emergence of Cameroon in 1960-61, as France and Britain wound down their colonies in west Africa.

Source: AFP

The Interim Head of State of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia was reportedly arrested by Nigeria secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS).  The Leader of the Indigenous People of British Southern Cameroons was arrested in Abuja including 7 members of his cabinet.

Cameroon Intelligence Report sources in the Nigerian capital say the 9 included Dr. Nfor Ngala Nfor, Chairman of the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC), Dr. Fidelis Nde Che, Dr. Henry Kimeng, Prof. Awasum, Dr. Cornelius Kwanga, Mr. Tassang Wilfred, Barrister Eyambe Elias, Dr. Ojong Okongho and Barrister Nalowa Bih.

Late last night, the Buhari administration auditioned the Ambazonian leadership over the 39 Southern Cameroonians who were arrested alongside Niger Delta militants and the use of Nigerian territory to stage attacks deep inside Cameroon.

President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe provided a detailed plan of action from the Interim Government and informed the DSS authorities that the people of Ambazonia were not waging a war against La Republique du Cameroun.

We gathered that in a soul-searching presentation, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe opined that the Manyu freedom fighters were simply defending themselves following the numerous Cameroon armed forces onslaughts in Southern Cameroons.

The Buhari administration ordered the arrest following the reckless activities of a certain Cho Ayaba and a group of misguided youth who were taken into custody at Taraba in Nigeria. Our correspondent in Abuja hinted that the Ambazonian leadership will be released soonest.

source:www.cameroonintelligencereport.com

A leading member of a separatist movement in Cameroon has been taken into custody in the capital of neighboring Nigeria with his aides, sources and secessionists said on Saturday.

The once-fringe Anglophone movement in majority Francophone Cameroon has gathered pace in the last few months following a military crackdown on protests. It represents the gravest challenge yet to the 35-year rule of President Paul Biya who will seek re-election this year.

Julius Ayuk Tabe, the Nigeria-based chairman of the Governing Council of Ambazonia separatist movement, was taken into custody alongside six others at a hotel in Abuja on Friday, said an official in the west African country and a member of the separatist group in Cameroon.

Bilateral relations have been strained by a separatist movement in Cameroon that has clashed with the Cameroonian army and forced thousands to flee violence by traveling across the border to Nigeria.

Cameroonian troops last month crossed into Nigeria in pursuit of rebels without seeking Nigerian authorization, causing diplomatic wrangling behind the scenes.

Separatists, including armed radical elements, seek an independent state for the nation’s Anglophone regions they call Ambazonia.

A Nigerian official said Tabe and six of his supporters were placed in custody at around 7 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Friday. “They were having a meeting at Nera Hotels in Abuja,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

The official did not know who rounded up the separatists.

A member of the separatist group based in Cameroon, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the people were taken into custody.

The separatist group later issued a statement saying that Tabe and six others were taken from Nera Hotels by Cameroonian gunmen in an “illegal abduction.” Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegation.

The unrest in Cameroon began in November, when English-speaking teachers and lawyers in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, frustrated with having to work in French, took to the streets calling for reforms and greater autonomy.

French is the official language for most of Cameroon but English is spoken in two regions that border Nigeria.

Protests by separatists prompted a violent crackdown by Cameroon’s military last year in which troops opened fire on demonstrators.

REUTERS

Toyota’s former president Tatsuro Toyoda, who helped the Japanese auto giant establish a foothold in North America, has died at the age of 88, the company said Saturday.

Toyoda, an uncle of current Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, died of pneumonia on December 30, the firm said in a statement.

His funeral has already been held and was attended by close relatives, but Toyota said it plans to hold a separate farewell ceremony.

Toyoda joined the company — founded by his father Kiichiro Toyoda — in 1953 and in 1984 became the first president of a new firm formed by Toyota and General Motors.

The California-based joint venture was part of Toyota’s push to expand production and increase its share in the North American market. The plant produced nearly 8 million vehicles until its closure in 2010, according to the company.

Toyoda served as Toyota president between 1992 and 1995.

(Source: AFP)

The authoritative British non-governmental organization, Intelligence Fusion has revealed that President Biya is not showing any sign of wanting to give up power. In a report published on January 4, Intelligence Fusion analysed the socio-political situation in Cameroon with focus on the next presidential election and traced the origin of the Ambazonia uprising and the response from Mr. Biya observing that it was inadequate to the demands of the people of Southern Cameroons.

“President Biya reacted to the crisis in the worst possible way, without reconciling himself or acting decisively. He did not reassure the English-speaking population, but rather sent the Cameroonian army to occupy the North West and South West regions, “says Intelligence Fusion.

The organization also indicated that Cameroon government forces have committed several acts of violence in Southern Cameroons, forcing people to desert their villages. Intelligence Fusion opined that the killing of some military officers by the Ambazonia Defense Force (ADF) is a consequence of these acts of violence against the civilian population.

Regarding the upcoming presidential election, Intelligence Fusion noted that Paul Biya, “the dictator for life” will be a candidate because “he is showing no sign of wanting to give up”. Intelligence Fusion is convinced that Paul Biya will win the 2018 election, but indicated that Cameroon as a nation will become ungovernable after Paul Biya’s victory.

Intelligence Fusion is based in London. It manages security risks and provides information on terrorist threats. It also monitors and controls the probability and / or impact of unplanned events. Intelligence Fusion was founded by Michael McCabe and Daniel Harrington, all British secret agents. They specialize in the protection of people and property in the UK and in high-risk countries.

By Rita Akana