Leader of the Niger Delta militant group, Bakassi
Strike Force, BSF, Simply Benjamin, aka ‘Humble
Lion G1’ has stated that members of the group
are ready to lay down their arms if the Federal
Government addresses the problem of Bakassi.
Benjamin stated that the group is out to ensure
the well-being of the people who reside in Bakassi,
now ceded to Cameroon and not out to destroy
national assets, Vanguard reports.
He said that in spite of offering to work with the
government to address the concerns of the Bakassi
returnees, the military has been on his trail and
disrupting residents near his camp.
According to the group’s leader, “The BSF has
been agitating against the poor implementation of
the Greentree Agreement after ceding Bakassi to
Cameroon, leaving Nigerians resident in the
peninsular without proper resettlement.
“We are ready to lay down our arms and embrace
dialogue under a process to be brokered by the
international community to ensure that Nigerian
returnees are properly resettled and rehabilitated.
“Our grievance against the Federal Government
has to do with the way Nigeria ceded our ancestral
land to Cameroon without recourse to the feelings
and rights of the people to self determination.
“Under the Greentree Agreement, there are steps
to be taken to ensure that the fundamental rights
of the returnees are protected but the
government has not fulfilled its obligations under
the agreement.’’
This is coming at a time when leaders of the region
met with President Muhammdu Buhari in a bid to
bring an end to the militancy crisis that has
ravaged the country.
