By Moma Sandrine
It was on the evening of Thursday February 8 that a military officer was reportedly stabbed to dead by unknown individual(s) along Commercial Avenue in Bamenda.
This act was received by members of the military corps with bitterness that they wasted no time in carrying out checks around the town. They began searching some hotels in town in an attempt to get hold of the culprit(s), not minding if they were invading the privacy of those who had lodged in the hotels they visited.
One of the victims recounted to The SUN that “I was in my hotel room when I heard a knock on the door saying it was the receptionist. I opened the door without hesitation only to be pointed at by different guns which they held. Without knowing what my crime was, I answered every question they asked me though I almost freaked to death because of the level of intimidation I received…”
The atmosphere that usually characterize the evening hours suddenly grew pale as people hurriedly retired home that Thursday evening.
To some people The SUN spoke to, the invasion of the military on the streets of Bamenda was intensified because it was during the evening hours but to their greatest dismay, the following day had its own picture to paint.
Fear and uncertainty gripped the hearts of inhabitants of Bamenda on February 9, as they watched elements of the forces of law and order invade the streets of commercial Avenue beating people and seizing a host of others. At about 10am, parents began rushing to schools to withdraw their kids due to the tension that clouded the atmosphere in Bamenda.
Many of the people at the commercial Avenue at this time had only one thing in mind, “RUN”. As the military officers began torturing people mercilessly on the streets, stores along Commercial Avenue right up to Mobile Nkwen all hurriedly shut their doors. By 11am, the streets were deserted.
Speaking to a high ranking official in the military, The SUN was told that the invasion of the military was provoked by the brutal murder of one of theirs.
“How inhumane could people be to walk past a dead body without showing any sign of remorse? It could be their brother or even their son. No matter what, nobody deserves to be given an inhumane treatment or murdered”, the military official lamented.
Although he was not happy knowing one of his kind had been murdered in cold blood, he cautioned military men on their actions. According to him the forces of law and order are out to protect lives and property and not to create tension. As such he called on civilians to be responsible citizens, while bearing in mind that the forces of law and order are out to protect them and not harm them.
Following the incident of Thursday night, the governor of the North West Region Adolf Lele L’Afrique signed a Press Release restricting the movement of persons and property as from the 10th of February from 8pm to 6am within the North West Region for a period of one week renewable. This, according to Governor Adolf, will help put an end to secessionist activities carried out by activists in the town.