Nigeria addresses fallout from extradition saga

Nigeria has assured Cameroon that it is determined to deal with secessionist forces attempting to use its territory to destabilise its West African neighbour. Last week, Nigeria extradited Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, leader of a Cameroonian anglophone separatist movement, and 46 of his supporters at Yaounde’s request. The move sparked condemnation from the UN refugee agency UNHCR. However, a report on The Citizen site notes that Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Mohammed Monguno said the extradition was ordered to preserve Cameroon’s unity and sovereignty. ‘President Muhammadu Buhari assures you that we will take all the necessary measures, within the ambit of the law, to ensure that Nigeria’s territory is not used as a staging area to destabilise another friendly sovereign country,’ Monguno said. Monguno urged the Cameroonian authorities to engage in constructive dialogue to de-escalate tensions in the anglophone regions and facilitate the return of Cameroonian refugees who have entered Nigeria.