Traders Abandon Bakassi Market Over Insecurity, Piracy Along Cross River Waterways
Story: written Myra Chinonso August 25,2025
Merchants from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and other island nations have abandoned the Ikang International Market in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State due to worsening insecurity along the waterways.
Community sources revealed that several traders have been victims of violent attacks, kidnappings, and robberies by pirates and militants operating in the creeks.
Raising concerns over the weekend, youth leaders in Ikang appealed to Governor Bassey Otu to provide speedboats and motorcycles to help them support the Navy and security agencies in combating the crisis.
Presenting a position paper at the Bakassi Town Council Hall, the youth leader, Prince Linus Asukwo-Bassey, warned that the lives of community leaders were now in danger for speaking against criminal groups.
“Big-time traders from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and other countries have stopped patronising Bakassi International Market because of incessant pirate attacks. They fear being kidnapped or losing their goods to militants who operate freely along the waterways,” Asukwo-Bassey said.
He noted that providing speedboats and motorcycles would enhance surveillance in remote creeks, improve response to emergencies, and disrupt militant activities.
The youth leaders further disclosed that they had received threats from ex-militants they had previously cautioned against misusing government amnesty programmes. They alleged that some suspects were often released due to political connections, while others had already returned to the creeks in preparation for another round of amnesty benefits.
“We will not accept the reintegration of ex-militants unless they show genuine remorse,” Asukwo-Bassey stressed.
Despite the challenges, the youth leader commended Governor Otu for extending electricity and solar power to Ikang town and urged the state government to remodel the Ikang International Market into a modern fish market to boost cross-border trade.
