Cameroonian opposition leader, Tchiroma, may still be in Nigeria
Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who contested the incumbent candidate Paul Biya’s victory in the October presidential election, may still be in Nigeria.
Africa Intelligence reported that he was in Adamawa state.
However, a reliable source told Daily Trust on Wednesday that he had since moved to Abuja.
The newspaper was not able to confirm if he was still in Abuja as of Wednesday night.
The spokesman of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Sherrif Akinlabi, did not respond to an inquiry sent to his phone number concerning the whereabouts of the Cameroonian.
Tchiroma was taken out of his Marouare residence in Garoua on the night of 28-29 October.
A 31 October post on his “Tchiroma 2025” Facebook account reads, “I thank the loyalist army, which has shown its patriotism by escorting me to a safe location and is currently ensuring my protection.”
Unsure how to keep him safe without the risk of raids that could cause an escalation, Tchiroma was escorted across the border into Nigeria hours later.
There had been several incidents, suggesting subtle attempts to take Tchiroma into custody. Midmorning on 29 October, gendarmes stormed Tchiroma’s quarters.
His vanguards outside his compound and private security personnel guarding other compounds in the neighbourhood confirmed there were gunshots around Tchiroma’s compound that morning.
That attack last week Wednesday, came the day after the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, in a press briefing in Yaoundé, warned that Tchiroma would be dealt with for inciting “post-election violence”. Tchiroma had called on his supporters to go to the streets the day before the results were proclaimed.
Atanga Nji had said on previous occasions that Tchiroma had broken the law by declaring himself the winner of the presidential election the day after the election, an act which, the minister said, is the preserve of the Constitutional Council.
