Journal of
African Studies and Development

  • Abbreviation: J. Afr. Stud. Dev
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-2189
  • DOI: 10.5897/JASD
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 240

Article in Press

Border Shutting and Shrivel of Human and Merchandise on the Nigeria-Cameroon Passage of Banki and Limani

Mark Bolak Funteh

  •  Received: 23 January 2015
  •  Accepted: 20 September 2019
The frontiers of Cameroon and Nigeria reflected eventful spaces of openness, offering to both peoples great opportunities in terms of human and commodity cross fluidity. This disposition of consistent flow of persons and trade-currents and their multipliers effects were of great dividend. But due to the insecurity that reigned in Nigeria (caused in the main by activities of Boko Haram) the Nigerian government closed down its borders with her neighbours. This closure had serious influence on the cross-border activities between the peoples of Cameroon and Nigeria, especially those on the Banki-Limani trajectory. In fact, the fear and uncertainty imposed by the acts of insecurity transformed this Cameroon-Nigeria open border type into a close one, causing the quantitative and qualitative human and commodity dwindling flow, and as a matter of cause, situated the smuggling situation on another undisputed state of affairs. Amidst the smuggling, the flow was soon redirected to other corridors of the region of the Far North and later to the region of the North, especially when the insecurity situation in the former region became unprecedented. This paper, based on published and unpublished sources and oral consultation with the actors and eyewitnesses, critically examines how the insecurity disposition in neighboring Nigeria changed the nature of its borders with Cameroon, and how such change directly affected the eventful Banki and Limani borderline trajectory. As it settles on the quantitative and qualitative human and commodity dwindling flow effect of this change, the paper also appraises the smuggling situation imposed upon by the state of affairs. It concludes by attempting a preemptive therapy for future-related situations.

Keywords: Border Shutting, Shrivel, Human, Merchandise Cameroon-Nigeria Passage, Limani, Banki