Almost on a daily basis, children from the ages of five are subjected to beatings, shootings and other forms of maltreatment by gun-wielding militants at their ramshackle, raffia-roofed houses.
At least, in the last five months, there have been three reported cases where the children were shot. Two of them died as a result.
One, a daughter of the Ine Utang fishing settlement in the Dayspring community, Bakassi, was reportedly shot in the arm. Up till today, she is said to be writhing in excruciating pains since there is no medical facility to treat her.
When interviewed a few days ago, the children lamented that the militants do not usually like it when they hesitate to do their bidding.
Chris Akpan is barely ten years old. He looks haggard with tattered clothes on him. Barefoot, he had some sores on his body. Would they be effects of beatings from the militants or some infections?
He and four others said they came on holiday all the way from Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State to visit their parents who stay in the settlement and would return after the Christmas celebration.
“Our parents have stayed here for a very long time. We normally come to stay here with them, and help to fish, too, using a canoe on the big rivers.
“Since we arrived on holiday, militants have disturbed a lot. They come in boats and guns and knives.
“When they arrive, they will forcefully grab all the fish and bags of crayfish caught the previous day from our parents. They will collect money and petrol to power their engine boats.
“For us children, if we were sleeping, they would kick or slap us to wake up and help them bring sachet water or food to eat, otherwise they would shoot you.
“They do this every day. They actually killed two children sometime ago.
“The little daughter of the community head was shot in the arm because she refused to bring her father’s money. She did not die but she couldn’t be taken to hospital because we don’t have any in the entire community,” he narrated.
Another boy, Ubong Etim, aged eight, speaking in Ibibio language, said, “no child in this community attends any school because there is not even one.
“All of us go to the high sea in our parents’ boats to fish as a way to help raise money and get food.”
He lamented the lack of schools and expressed the urge to attend school like other children of his age.
He said, “All we do is to play, run about and sleep when we return from fishing. I would love to go to school, too.”
Those were some of the voices from the children of Ine Utang fishing settlement which has a population of over 1500 settlers, a tenth of which are children who do not also enjoy any health facility.
In case they have any very serious ailment, they use their canoes or speed boats to convey the person to Calabar, wasting nearly two hours.
Ine Utang fishing settlement has about 200 small houses made of raffia.
However, some of the huts were burnt over a month ago when they were smoking fish.
Those affected have not been able to reconstruct their homes but are squatting.
They construct wooden bridges to cross into the settlement. Those woods are gotten from the mangroves.
Other major communities in the Peninsula include Atabong, Isangele, Idabato, etc.
Cameroon authorities are laying claims to these territories, while Akwa Ibom State, too, seems to have interest.
It was, however, learnt that it is actually Cross River State that administers it under political wards called Dayspring I and II.
A journey from Calabar on a speed boat takes at least one hour, 20 minutes to these communities.
One of the elders who have stayed in Ine Utang for several years, Mr Akpan Akpan (not real name), speaking with fear, confirmed that there were about ten heavily armed militant groups operating from the Bakassi creeks.
The 76-year-old man said the settlers like himself and other leaders of the fishermen are at the mercy of the militants who control and dictate what should happen.
“Since there is no presence of the Nigerian government like security posts nearby, no school, no primary healthcare centre, we are at the mercy of either Cameroonian gendarmes, or the Ijaw militants.
“They take turns to swoop on us everyday and plunder our goods and properties.
“They would hit us or shoot us and dispossess us of our earnings, cart away our catches, take away our petrol and even beat up our children, too.
“We live in fear. The militants lurk around the creeks where they live like kings. As soon as they see that we have returned with good catches or we have sold large quantities of our catches, they pounce on us,” he narrated.
Akpan pleaded that the Nigerian Navy should increase their presence and surveillance to give them hope and reduce incessant attacks.
According to him, the only regular state actors they see are those from the Cameroonian forces, called Rapid d’Intervention Battalions, BIR, who have outposts nearby.
“We are faced with lots of health issues. More seriously is the fact that sea pirates and militants come to attack and kill us almost daily. We pray for regular security surveillance and a health post”, Akpan pleaded.
Meanwhile, just last week, the commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship in the area, Vincent Gbaranwi, in conjunction with the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, held free medical outreach, during which over 200 inhabitants were treated.
Gbaranwi said they took time to assess the security reports emanating from the area.
He said, “The Navy will increase surveillance because the situation has become dire and compelling.”
Gbaranwi, who represented the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Olusola Oluwagbire, said they were touched by the plight of the Nigerians living in that community who were exposed to abject penury, hunger, and incursions by militants.
“From our various assessments and reports, there are compelling issues to deal with in this community, including militancy, hunger and diseases.
“Fortunately, our hierarchy, having noted the dire situation, directed that we should intervene in this community.
“We’ll continue to do more to see the possibility of alleviating their plights.
“Our intervention is also to deepen the civilian-military relationship under our corporate social responsibility in our area of command.
“We’ve noted that there is no school, no electricity, no health facility, no security post. The need for medical attention is topmost,” he stated.
To corroborate the naval boss that the Peninsula is festered with militancy, one of the armed groups called Dragon Fighter Marine, founded by one Princewill Chimezie, insisted that the territory belongs to Biafra.
“We have control of the settlements. They are Biafran territories. Our men gave orders that no ship should navigate and no further oil explorations as violations will be grave”, the group said in a statement.
It is understood that during a battle for supremacy a few days ago, they encountered the Rapid d’intervention Battalions, BIR, in Abana, resulting in deaths.
The rural dwellers, especially children, are left to bear the brunt of the criminality in the area.
