By Sah Terence Animbom
It was on Monday June 18, 2018 that news went viral on social media that some persons had been burnt alive in a car by the military in Mbengwi. Some reports said they were burnt in the South West while some just said burnt alive in a car in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.
Following the many controversies, The SUN Newspaper reporter made a visit to the area and to Mbengwi where the victim of the unfortunate incident comes from and had first hand information on what exactly transpired.
The first thing discovered was that the incident did not even take place in Momo Division talk less of Mbengwi. The incident occurred in Mezam Division at Alah’nki in Mankon located four kilometers from Momo Division.
Secondly it was noticed that the act was not performed by the military as social media reports claimed but By Amba Boys. Reports say in a bid to reinforce the respect for Ghost Towns on Monday, the Amba Boys around Mezam and Mbengwi came out to the road on Monday June 18, 2018 after issuing warnings of no circulation along that road on that day and started stopping any car or bike that was plying the road.
They intercepted two cars and two bikes which they set ablaze after asking the occupants of the cars to step out. The first belong to a female teacher who probably lives in Bamenda and goes to work in Mbengwi. The second car; a Carina E matriculated LT 035 DX beside which Njoh Christopher Fon was shot dead belonged to a certain Monjoh Chrysantus, a teacher at St. Joseph’s College Mbengwi.
Reports say the said car was driven by Njoh Christopher who is a mechanic and “panel beater” approached the Amba Boys control post at long Street Alahnki carrying over 100 liters of Palm oil in its boot belonging to a Bamenda based business man who was equally in the car with another car owner who left his car for repairs at Njoh’s garage.
He was then to come out of the car like the others so the car can be set ablaze and he resisted. He remained in the car and kept begging for the car not to be burnt until he saw that it was not yielding any fruit and decided to step out. When he stepped out he kept begging the infuriated Amba guys who now had one of them pointing at him with a gun and asking him to step away from the car so it can be burnt but he thought begging more could yield a change of heart.
Unfortunately for him when, he saw that the other car had been set ablaze, he knew there was no way out and knowing the car that had been entrusted to him for repairs which he was actually on his way to Bamenda with for spraying was going to be burnt, he was visibly not happy and mustered the courage to ask the Amba Boys “You say you are fighting for our interest why are you burning our things?” That is the question that landed a bullet to his forehead from the gun of an extremely angry Amba Boy who will not stand being challenged.
The bullet brought Njoh Christopher crashing face downwards as he breathe his last lying beside the car that was already condemned for burning as the others. The car was thus set ablaze as previewed without an effort to roll Njoh’s mortal remains from the spot thus leaving it at the mercy of the wild flames from the unfortunate car.
That is how Njoh, about 58years old, lost his life and was almost totally consumed by fire after death. His family was informed and Njoh Humphred Fongang his kid brother hurried to the scene and managed with little help to wrap his late brother in a bag and bed sheet then transported him on a bike to Mbengwi. “I attempted putting him in the mortuary but the mortuary attendant told me it would be too expensive to treat and preserve a burnt corpse and that he will advise me to bury the same day,” the victim’s brother told The SUN.
Njoh Christopher was the first in a family of eight and son of late Awume Martin Njoh and Mama Esther Nung Njoh who is now aged 76yrs. “He was of great assistance to the family and has left behind a great vacuum,” his brother said.
In the absence of the SDO on Wednesday June 20, 2018, an administrator at the Momo SDO’s Office who chose not to let out his name said the military in Mbengwi did not commit such an act as claimed on social media and that the military in Mbengwi is perfectly under control. He said “it is so insensible to kill your own brothers in the name of the struggle. Killing and burning your own people’s property will help them turn against you and look at the military that you call your enemy. Who is the enemy in this case?”