By Moma Sandrine
A state of commotion gripped the entire Bafut community on Friday, May 11 when news of Ambazonian fighters’ invasion filled the air and prompted a brutal reaction from the military that left some quarters of the town in ruins. The SUN descended on Bafut the following day to get and appraisal of the situation and while on the way, this reporter was greeted with the image of a lifeless young man abandoned on the streets, near the fuel station at Mile 11, Nsoh quarter.
The trigger
According to eyewitnesses, a group of men believed to be Ambazonia fighters invaded bafut, attacking all schools around; private, public and mission schools inclusive. In the course of the attack, pupils and students alike were warned never to return to school if they loved their lives while their teachers received similar threats. Teachers who hesitated to act as the “amba boys” instructed were severely beaten and some of their cars shattered. It took less than an hour for these invaders to carry out their acts in the village as The SUN gathered.
Military reaction
Following the invasion of suspected separatist fighters, gendarme officers in Bafut immediately swung into action. They began by stopping the circulation of motorbikes then cars. Only a few cars were allowed to transport people who were rushing home for safety. As the military tried to capture the Ambazonian invaders, their main targets were motorbikes since it was reported that the invaders got into Bafut through this means of transportation. To this effect, bikes that were seen plying the streets of Bafut were immediately ordered to stop. This reporter equally gathered that the lifeless body seen earlier was that of a bike rider shot by a gendarme officer as he tried to escape.
A man who prefers to remain anonymous told The SUN that after the gendarme officers had succeeded in seizing at least 25 motorbikes, they set them ablaze; some at 3 corners Bafut and others in front of the gendarmerie post.
Within the said time, Bamenda airport was reported to have been attacked by these same separatist fighters causing tension around. A military source at the airport told The SUN that an incoming flight was called eight minutes to landing to look for a safer landing place. This resulted in the pilot changing direction and landing safely in Baffoussam.
According to our military source, the gunfight that ensued resulted in the death of three separatist fighters. It is equally suspected that some of the assailants were captured.
An angry population
According to some inhabitants of Bafut, the bikes that were seized and burnt belonged to innocent bike riders who were going about their normal activities. They frowned at the reaction of the forces of law and order referring to them as “forces of disorder”.
Another inhabitant whose name The SUN couldn’t get told said his brother’s bike was among also burnt “my brother just got that bike recently to manage his life. Now it has been set ablaze, what are they expecting him to do? Steal I guess”. This was just one among many who lamented the loss of their bikes.
A form 5 student told The SUN that she cannot continue school after the threats from Amba boys. “They really looked scary” she said. Another said he is not sure any school in Bafut will go operational following Friday’s invasion. The invasion of assailants seemed not to be the main fear of the population as some told this reporter.
While trekking towards the palace from three corners, this reporter was cautioned by two young girls (estimated to be in their early twenties) that “Be watchful as you walk the lonely street. You could be captured or even shot by the military”.
When asked why, they told The SUN that since the unrest, military officers now arrest people for no reason and in some cases, shoot at them.
“We are not afraid of the Ambazonia fighters but the military. They arrest for no reason and demand at least CFAF 30.000 before a person is released” one of them told The SUN.
NW Governor’s reaction
Following the tension in Bafut, the governor of the North West Region Adolf Lele L’Afrique signed a communique on Friday evening, calling on an indefinite suspension in the circulation of motor bikes in all of Bafut.
Life after bike ban
Less than 24 hours after the ban, inhabitants of Bafut told The SUN that they see life already getting tough. A bike rider who was fortunate to have secured his bike wondered how he was going to take care of his family with his bike parked indoors
“We were not those who perpetrated the act so the ban is punishing us for nothing. I feed my family from the money I make from bike riding. At this point, I am confused because I don’t know how my family will survive”.
This reporter had to feel the pinch of what the villagers were going through as she covered some kilometers on foot.
Inhabitants of Bafut are pleading with the government to look for more amicable ways of resolving the crises than banning the circulation of motor bikes which is a livelihood of at least 2.000 people.
The general atmosphere in Bafut was characterized by semi dead streets as a greater proportion of the population preferred to stay indoors for fear of the unknown. Only a courageous few could be spotted chatting and drinking in small joints.