Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs Dr. Mrs. Helen Isamoh distributed relief materials to BALEGETE IDPs On Good Friday

Easter came early for the people of Belegete community of Obanliku LGA as the State Governor fulfilled his promise to alleviate the dire condition of the people.

On Friday, March 29, the Honourable Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Helen Isamoh-Egodo arrived in Obudu Cattle Ranch at the temporary site where some of the Belegete are camped with a truck load of relief materials for the people. The Commissioner was making her second trip in two months to see the people.

In January, the Commissioner was sent by the Cross River State Governor, Prince Bassey Edet Otu, to the area to assess the condition of the Belegete following a dastardly invasion and atrocities committed on the people by Cameroonian Ambazonians.

The Cameroon gang invaded the Belegete on a December morning, ransacked the community, and abducted over 30 people including a chief who they killed.

On her first visit to the Belegete community, the Honourable Commissioner had promised the people that the State Governor was committed to alleviating their condition and would be exploring every avenue to facilitate their return to their ancestral home.

There was much excitement in the Belegete camp when they saw Commissioner Isamoh-Egodo and her team as well as a truck load of items meant for them. Men, women, and children ran out from their different locations to welcome the Commissioner and to thank her and the State Governor for fulfilling their promise to alleviate their misery.

The Commissioner was accompanied on her trip by the Paramount Ruler of Obanliku LGA, the Cross River representative of the Federal Commissioner for Refugees, Immigrants, and IDPs, Mr. Innocent Efoghe, the Permanent Secretary for the State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mr. Sunday Orim and other staff members of her ministry.

Welcoming the Honourable Commissioner and her team, a spokesperson expressed the appreciation of the Belegete for the kindness and magnanimity of the State Governor and thanked the Commissioner for keeping the promise she made in January that she would return to their community with relief materials. He said that her return was a clear indication of the care and thoughtfulness of the State Governor and that the Belegete would always be grateful for the attention they were receiving from the government.

He added, however, that lack of roads linking the Belegete to other communities made it difficult for them to get help from State security personnel when they needed help. He pleaded that the government should make the construction of roads to Belegete communities a priority as soon as possible.
Several other members of the community thanked the Commissioner for keeping her promise to return with relief materials for them. They said her resolve to seek help for them was a testimony to her fitness to head an office designated to cater to humanitarian needs.

In her response, the Honourable Commissioner thanked the Belegete for their patience and their belief in the efficacy of the government. She said that the State Governor, Prince Bassey Edet Otu and his wife have been extremely concerned about the plight of the Belegete since they first received the report of the invasion by the Cameroonian Ambazonians. She reported that the Governor had been working with federal officials to get them relief materials and to ensure that they all returned to their villages and live safely.

The Commissioner assured them that the Governor was continuing to work with state and federal officials to ensure that their community would never again experience the atrocious events that happened to them.