Sema Fonkem 07 Feb 2026

While Cameroon shares approximately 2,060 km long border stretching from Lake Chad in the north to the Atlantic Ocean (Bakassi Peninsula) in the south with Nigeria, majority of Cameroonians still see Nigeria as major threat and their number one enemy.

In this short piece, I have compiled a list of the top three things Cameroonians fear about Nigerians.

1. Human Trafficking

Recently, hundreds of Cameroonians have been lured to different parts of Nigeria through visa scams. The victims are usually kidnapped for ransom and killed for their organs or to conceal evidence. According to investigations, those who fall ill and die are buried in shallow graves by their captors.

The perpetrators usually pose as immigration agents able to process European, United Arab Emirates, American and Canadian visas. They would convince victims a hotel stay while in Nigeria but upon arrival, they are taken into the slums or bush houses where they are held captive, drained of every penny and tortured until their last breath.

Cameroonian merchants who travel to Nigeria via Ikom-Ekok border crossing to sell or buy goods are constantly abducted by highway bandits and killed for their cash. A few lucky traders have make it back home safe. This has reduced the number of Cameroonians visiting Nigeria by road for business or leisure.

The trafficking of women and children into Nigeria across the borders remain a major crisis faced by Cameroon’s security forces so much that it was highly celebrated in early 2026 when Nigeria’s Minister of Defence Christopher Gwabin Musa advocated for the building of fences and high walls along Nigeria’s borders with Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and Benin.

2. Boko Haram

Cameroon faces security challenges from extremist group Boko Haram in the north and this has led to the temporary closure of border such as Amchidé-Banki and Fotokol-Gambaru.

It has been proven that when muslim terrorists commit crimes in Nigeria, they usually flee to Cameroon to hide from law enforcement and so every time there are suicide bombings and mass murders perpetrated by Islamic groups in Nigeria, Cameroonians become extremely scared of muslims living in their midst.

Just a mention of the name Book Haram can keep a regular Cameroonian indoors for a full day.

3. Smuggling of illegal goods and drugs

While the Ekok 1.5 km bridge crossing from Nigeria to Cameroon, the Amchidé-Banki area, Limbe and Muea serve as major trading hubs opened in good faith for economic benefits between both countries, several cases of smuggling of illicit goods and drugs from Nigeria into Cameroonian markets have been reported by custom and law enforcement officials.

The counterfeit goods from Nigeria sold at very low prices negatively affects the livelihood of local traders and manufacturers who have to pay their taxes.

Illegal pharmaceutical drugs and substances such as cocaine sold on the streets have caused the deterioration of health and death of many struggling Cameroonians.

Some X and Facebook users conclude by saying that as much as they will love to remember Nigeria for all the good things that it is worth, the heinous crimes committed by a handful of its citizens both at home and abroad does not make it easy.