CI-NEWS

2 dead as local vigilante beef up security in Bamenda.

2019-10-08

No: 450

2 dead as local vigilante beef up security in Bamenda.

By Etoh Anzah George in Bamenda.

A laudable initiative to set up vigilante groups in Bamenda to enforce security has turned deadly. A scenario of ‘friendly fire’ led to the shooting of four members of a local vigilante group in Bamenda by elements of the gendarmerie dispatched to beef up security in the wake of gunshots that rent the air around Nkwen. Two of them died in the process. Control posts had been set up by newly formed quarter vigilante groups in Banjah Street junction, Ghana Street, Cow Street all of Nkwen in the Bamenda 3 municipality. Dumped car tyres and a bamboo stick to restrict and permit entry were their arsenal and they were supposed to be answerable to the gendarmerie command post whose mobile agents are set up for impromptu interventions in case of uprisings.

Reacting to the casualty suffered by his men, Mbah Vadez,deputy controller of the Banjah Street vigilante post hinted The Horizon: "I am particularly upset by the outcome of the gunshots. I know the set up is from some of the butchers at the Nkwen Market who sell local marijuana to separatist fighters (Amba boys ) who reside at below Foncha Street (situated almost half a mile from the command post).From the day of setup of this, we have been able to ascertain security and consequently this I know is vexatious to the butchers who in guise present themselves as vendors whereas they are drug dealers. At about midday we heard gunshots and when we ran towards a security car indicating we are the vigilante group we later informed them of purported gunshots which we presumed were from the separatist fighters. The end result was the death of a civilian and the wounding of a local vigilante member around his genitals. When we rushed him to the PMI hospital we were informed the bullet is a state bullet pertaining to the Ntabessi gendarmerie brigade. It is here that the gendarmes who assisted us accepted they had pulled the trigger. As a result of this we were visited by a regular control supervisory team led by a colonel".

He further explained: "It’s just 5 days since we took over this post. So far 4 people have been shot 2 being members of a local vigilante group and 2 being civilians". Vadez attributed the ‘friendly fire’ incident to the fact that some security officials were ignorant of their role.

"Some of the security officers have been informed of our role while others haven’t. So the minority ignorant ones open fire. It should be noted after the purported Wednesday shots we were summoned at the gendarmerie legion command where we received instructions. Also we were equally impressed the security officials were briefed on our role".

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2 dead as local vigilante beef up security in Bamenda.