By CYNTHIA BIH
The defence and security forces are reported to have launched a manhunt for a suspected supporter and sympathiser of Ambazonia separatists, whose name we got as Enow Besong Divine.
Enow is being accused of having links with and collaborating with the separatists, who have taken up arms against the state to fight for the independence of a country they have named Republic of Ambazonia.
After graduating from the university, Enow had been living in Afab village, Manyu Division of the South West Region, helping his parents with their palm oil farming, milling and other businesses.
Enow, in the business, had been supplying foodstuffs and other provisions to the military whose camp was not far from his family residence. His ordeal started sometime in 2023 when some men, who are said to have introduced themselves as Amazonia separatist fighters, confronted Enow, requesting that he supplies them vegetables and other food stuffs. When Enow hesitated doing so, the separatist fighters later stormed his family home, threatening to kill him, his parents and brothers and sisters if he didn’t to the supplies.
For fear of his life, Enow is said to have started supplying the separatists with foodstuffs and other items. He often took the supplies to the various camps of the separatists.
Enow is said to have supplied both the military and separatists for some months until when a group of separatist fighters are said to have stormed his family home, accusing him and his father of giving information to the military about their hideouts.
They were also accused of having been campaigning for effective school, against school boycott calls by the separatists.
Enow and one of his cousins were abducted by the separatist fighters. While being conveyed to the fighters’ camp, Enow’s cousin attempted to escape and was shot on the leg. He later died of the gunshot injury.
However, after having been tortured and detained under deplorable condition at the separatists’ camp with deteriorating health, Enow is said to have escaped under circumstances that remain unclear. Since then his whereabouts is not known.
Nonetheless, when the military learned that Enow had been supplying items to the separatist fighters, they accused him of having links with the fighters, collaborating with them. They also accused him of “supporting terrorism”. The military also accused Enow of having been spying on the military and sending information to the separatist fighters.
It should be recalled that many young people in the North West and South West regions have been caught in such a situation as the armed conflict within the two English-speaking regions rages on.
Another case is that of Ndakwe Daniel Tangwa, a music teacher in Limbe, Fako Division of the South West Region. He had years back been accused of collaborating, sympathising and sponsoring Ambazonia separatist fighters.
For fear of his life, Ndakwe is reported of having fled and his whereabouts, till date, is not known. We gathered that a warrant of arrest had been issued for him and defence and security forces have continued to storm the residence of his parents in Limbe, harassing them to declare his whereabouts.