Cameroon was never reluctant to help Nigeria –Paul Biya

Buhari and Biya

President Paul Biya of Cameroon on Wednesday said there was never a time his country refused to help Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram.

He said although he also heard about the allegation that his country was serving as safe haven for members of the sect after unleashing terror in Nigeria, there was no truth in the report.

Biya who concluded a two-day official visit to Nigeria spoke at a press conference he addressed with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja shortly before he returned to his country.

The Cameroonian leader who spoke through an interpreter was responding to a question on why Cameroon decided to harbour terrorists witting its territory at a time before the country later changed its mind and decided to join the anti-terror war.

The Cameroonian President attributed the allegation to “bad press,” saying his country had nothing to gain by supporting Boko Haram.

He said, “Cameroon was never reluctant in the fight against Boko Haram. Yes, I heard this piece of information. I heard it in New York during conferences that Cameroon serves as a base for Boko Haram.

“What can Cameroon benefit from that? Are we going to benefit from their ideologies or are we going to benefit from finances? No.

“It was just a bad press and Cameroon remains focused and committed to the fight against Boko Haram.”

Buhari also allayed the fears raised by a journalist from Cameroon that Nigeria was planning to exploit resources from the Bakassi Peninsular despite the ruling of the International Court of Justice that ceded the disputed area to Cameroon.

The President urged the government and people of Cameroon to keep their minds at peace because Nigeria is a law-abiding country.

On security, Buhari thanked the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Cameroon and other members of the Multinational Joint Task Force for coming into Nigeria’s territory to secure it from Boko Haram.

“We have a single responsibility to secure our territory. We are grateful to G-7 for their foresight and asking us what we need in terms of intelligence, hardware and all,” he said.