Report: How Nigeria refused to hand over Biya’s rival to Cameroon
By Rilwan Muhammad
Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary is currently under the watch of Nigerian security operatives in Yola, Adamawa State capital, according to a BBC report.
This is as Nigeria declined a request from Cameroonian authorities to hand him over to the country.
Although a reliable source had told Daily Trust on Wednesday, November 5, that he had since moved to Abuja, the newspaper was unable to confirm if he was still in Abuja as of Wednesday night.
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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.
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Tchiroma, who contested President Paul Biya’s victory in the October presidential election, claimed he secured 54.8% of the vote compared to Biya’s 53.7%.
The opposition leader was taken out of his Marouare residence in Garoua on the night of 28-29 October.
According to reports, a team of Cameroonian special security officers attempted to “abduct” the former presidential candidate on November 2, allegedly with support from some Nigerian security personnel.
Cameroonian security operatives reportedly warned their Nigerian counterparts that Tchiroma was “a dangerous criminal”.
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.
A 31 October post on his “Tchiroma 2025” Facebook account read, “I thank the loyalist army, which has shown its patriotism by escorting me to a safe location and is currently ensuring my protection.”
There had been several incidents, suggesting subtle attempts to take Tchiroma into custody. Midmorning on 29 October, gendarmes stormed Tchiroma’s quarters.
The vanguards outside his compound and private security personnel guarding other compounds in the neighbourhood confirmed there were gunshots around Tchiroma’s compound that morning.
The attack came a 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”.
Atanga Nji repeatedly insisted that Tchiroma breached the law by declaring himself winner of the presidential poll a day after voting ended, noting that only the Constitutional Council has the authority to declare a winner.
Tchiroma had called on his supporters to go to the streets the day the results were proclaimed.
According to Cameroun Actuel, about four to six armed soldiers were seen in different parts of Marouare, the neighbourhood where Tchiroma lives, though their mission was unclear.
Security operatives reportedly set up checkpoints about fifty metres from his residence, a move interpreted as an attempt to restrict his movement.
The paper noted that this was not the first time Tchiroma had been rescued from what appeared to be a risky situation. On election day, security officers stopped the vehicle conveying him, but his supporters intervened, suspecting that he might be harmed.
President Paul Biya had earlier warned that severe action would be taken against anyone involved in post-election unrest, noting that Cameroon stood to gain nothing from slipping into violence.
“Cameroon cannot afford a post-election crisis with potentially devastating consequences, as witnessed elsewhere.” Biya wrote on his X page on 13 November.
On November 14, Biya also wrote on his X handle, “It is my responsibility to ensure that order is maintained. I can assure you that order will prevail. Cameroon will keep forging ahead.”
His remarks were widely seen as a response to Tchiroma’s claim that he won the election.
The country’s Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Rene Claude Meka, extended post-election security patrols to 10 December, citing concerns over potential disturbances.
Paul Biya, the world’s oldest sitting President, has since been sworn in for his eighth term in office.
