My Survival Series Pt6: "The Quest To Leave Cameroun"

The next morning, Professor Okoronka who has been our mediator with the camerounian government for a day now went back into the town to make ways for us to leave the border through cameroun to reach yola the state capital of Adamawa state Nigeria. while the mediating was ongoing we were waiting,hoping and praying  in our heart cause life at that border made us refugees. it was like living in the wilds. we went into the town's nearby market to buy some bread as usual to eat.



While there at the market, i discovered  from a Nigerian turned Cameroun businessman that our Naira  currency at #360 is a #1000 Cefa in cameroun. as i heard that as well as the others we all felt cheated as most things we  bought there were sold to us in Naira and at rates even higher back home in Nigeria. as we came out of the bread bakery, we saw military hilux vans filled with soldiers and they were heading to the border. at this point we were hopeful cause at least we could see a little light at the end of this tunnel that we are in. all this was a handwork of Professor Okoronka.




As we rushed back, we saw people trooping into the vehicles available that came the previous day.  families who had cars of their own were also preparing to leave. women and little children were struggling amidst men to get into the cars available. it was hell. i hated the manner at which we were all desperate but what other choice could we have had i thought. our pride were rubbished irrespective of personality,profession and wealth. i could see our lecturers who left their expensive cars on the roads  while running cause the killings on the roads in mubi town was much. they too were also in the struggle to get a little space to occupy in the cars. i tried the best i could to help some little children and their mothers who couldn't climb up into the huge trailer van before i made my own way in too cause i was not willing to be left behind.



After all the pushing and struggles, the driver said he would not leave if not paid by individuals boarding his vehicle. we all initially thought it was going to be a free trip back to Nigeria. gradually everyone stepped down from his vehicle and diverted to the other one behind his. all of a sudden the other driver followed the trend of never to move  if not paid. this was painful,frustrating and  weakening cause it is not as if most people do not have the money but the problem was that there was no bank to make any withdrawal. we stood aside and began to rob minds on what to do as a survival team and as God will have it, Uduak Abasi a beautiful young lady with a calm heart actually had some money with her which belong to an association. so she lend those of us without money some of it on the condition that we'll pay her back once we get to Yola, Nigeria. we were all now set with #1,000 each to board a trailer van. a vehicle for conveying goods and livestock. it was not funny at all.



The military men now came into the picture as they stood at the entrance of the vehicle. if you pay #1,000, you'll enter. if you don't. no way for you. this new policy kept most mothers and their little children helpless as they had no choice than to stand aside and watch. i was so furious at what was happening. i wished i had an authority beyond those soldiers and drivers in order to command them to carry those women and little children but that was absolutely impossible at that point. young men and ladies were struggling,paying and as well trooping into the vehicle but to everyone's surprise, God brought to our rescue a high ranking custom commander who ordered those drivers and soldiers to stop collecting money and allow everyone to enter for free.we were lucky cause we have not given them our money but most people have paid already. alongside with others, we struggled and scaled the trailer van's body like a fence just as a lizard would. this is funny now(hahahahahaha) but at that point then it was hell.



After so much waiting under the harsh sun, we left the border town of bokoula. the routes were lots of high hills. to certain points some of us would come down for the vehicle to climb the hilly roads and we would trek a bit and later climb up into it again. as night approached, the soldiers attached to these vehicles for the journey including ours ordered the drivers to stop for us all to spend the night there in the bush with no food nor drink.




TO BE CONTINUED...............!!!!!!!


If you missed My Survival Series Pt5: "Life At The Camrounian Border", Click Here