By Norbert Wasso in Limbe
Many current and former University of Buea students who took part in the strike in the recent strike chanting pro-Ambazonia and secessionist songs, are on the run following heavy military crackdown, The SUN has learnt.
This follows detention and torture inflicted on them by government forces in the wake of sustained protests by pro-independence and pro-federalist groups in the country.
It all started in Buea and Bamenda capitals of the Southwest and Northwest regions of Cameroon. A peaceful protest by lawyers who were later on joined by teachers and students, turned ugly when they were beaten up and arrested by the military.
The military shot at the population who had joined the protests. Many were beaten up, others wounded and some even later died.
Before 2016, however, Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, activists have been constantly harassed, detained, tortured for carrying out protests mostly at the approach of every October 1,a day they consider the Independence Day of the Southern Cameroons as opposed to re-unification day.
A particular case in point which The SUN has learnt about from sources is that of 28-year-old Epoupa Wanda Nyadjroh, former student of the University of Buea and has grown up reading and distributing a lot of pro-independence and Ambazonia literature and has become a committed convert.
Epoupa Wanda Nyadjroh was first arrested and detained on November 16, 2016 in relation to the strike on the University of Buea. He was accused of sharing misinformation through videos and images. After intervention by human rights groups he was released.
However, the defence and security forces did not relent on him and kept on looking for him. He was arrested in a bus in November 2018 on charges of supporting the secessionists by sharing ambazonia propaganda and for aiding the escape of secessionists.
When he was released, he relocated to Douala, a francophone town and economic capital of the country thinking that with the vastness of the town and huge population, it would be easy to hide from further arrests and detention. He didn’t reckon the vastness of the security network which had its tentacles spread in towns like Douala and Yaounde, the economic and political capitals where a lot of anglophones have been taking refuge, fleeing the arrests, torture and inhumane treatment being visited in the South West and North west Regions.
Infact, Epoupa is reported to have got wind that he was being tracked in Douala. Faced with the threats of further arrests and maybe the fact that he may not be lucky to be released again, he has gone missing since the latter part of 2021. His whereabouts are unknown.
The intense and unrelenting crackdown of protesters and pro-independence activists continues to push many to go into hiding or flee the country like Epoupa Wanda Nyadjroh.Infact, some have even died in the process of running away from the country.