Street protests erupted in several cities across Cameroon this Sunday, following a call by Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the candidate for the October 12 presidential election, who has been claiming victory for over a week.

"People of Cameroon, do not give in to intimidation. Their goal is to stop us because they know that a massive demonstration deprives them of legitimacy. If we achieve a peaceful and determined human tide, they will lose all semblance of legitimacy," Tchiroma Bakary urged on his Facebook page on the eve of the demonstration.

On Saturday, he also called on residents of the northern Cameroonian city of Garoua, the rest of the country and the diaspora to demonstrate peacefully to "liberate Cameroon."

Hundreds of activists and supporters took to the streets of several cities to "demand the truth of the ballot boxes."

Demonstrations that degenerated in Garoua and elsewhere

Like other cities across the country this Sunday, Garoua, the stronghold of candidate Tchiroma, saw demonstrations which ultimately degenerated into clashes between security forces and demonstrators.

Security forces fired tear gas at hundreds of people who were denouncing a plan to "steal the victory" of the opposition leader.

Slogans such as "Power must return to the people" and "We demand the truth about the election" were raised, according to our correspondents on the ground.

Another protester carried a banner urging US President Donald Trump "to help Cameroon," without this request being specified or contextualized.

Cameroon's Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, has warned against what he called "illegal" protests and threatened to take action against their instigators.

Attempted kidnapping?

But before the protests began, Tchiroma Bakary, in a video posted on his Facebook page this morning, indicated that he had been the target of an attempted kidnapping at his home.

The video posted this morning by Tchiroma Bakary has sparked a lot of reaction on his page. According to him, whistleblowers drew his attention early Sunday morning to the presence of individuals around his house.

"This conspiracy to take me from my home and take me to an unknown destination has not succeeded," he said in his video seen by the BBC.

"It could have been fatal for me if it hadn't been for divine intervention," said the FSNC candidate, adding that these individuals were heavily armed soldiers whose goal was to remove him from his home.

These allegations have not been independently confirmed. The BBC contacted the office of Cameroon's Minister of Territorial Administration to gather the authorities' reaction to candidate Tchiroma's allegations. The minister's communications officer referred us to the statement made on Saturday.

He called on his activists and the Cameroonian people to be vigilant and to remain mobilized to defend the victory.

In a statement to the media on Saturday, the Minister of Territorial Administration stated that "Cameroon is a state governed by the rule of law and any dispute relating to the results of the elections must be brought before the competent authorities and in strict compliance with the regulations in force."

Further, he will say that "the quality of candidate for the presidential election does not confer any immunity on anyone."

Cameroon's Constitutional Council is expected to announce the official and final results of the presidential election this Monday. To date, no official figures have been released.