Yesterday, a speeding car tragically killed a commercial bike rider in Bambili, North West, who had fled from the Anglophone Crisis to Douala, where he had reconstituted himself and returned home.
He died on the night of March 6, 2025, after his bike collided head-on with a speeding Lexus vehicle around the ENS Street in Bambili, a town hosting several other internally displaced persons.
Eyewitnesses say the car driver, a young man in his early 20s, had lost control of the newly acquired 2020 Lexus while driving at top speed.
“We saw him approaching on very high speed and had to run into the bushes,” said Claire, a student of the University of Bamenda.
The impact was so severe that the bike rider, who had recently returned from Douala after fleeing the ongoing Anglophone Crisis, sustained critical injuries which he later succumbed to.
A Problem of Overspeeding
The Lexus driver abandoned his vehicle and fled the scene, fearing mob justice. A wrecked car lay abandoned by him.
Local sources familiar with the driver revealed that he owned the car for less than a month and already had a reputation for reckless driving.
“It’s a common phenomenon for young students to drive expensive cars at very high speeds. We are not safe here in Bambili,” said Lum, a student of Polytechnic Bambui.
The issue of over speeding, especially by students as young as below 20 years, is now a concerning phenomenon in Bambili. Residents want authorities to intensify checks on car documents, drivers’ licences, and other documents, especially among these very young drivers.
“We will all die if these overspeeding are not addressed. Students now indulge in scamming by buying cars and do not care about pedestrians,” said Amangwi, a student at the university.
This issue is not only common in Bambili, but also in Buea, another university town in the South West Region.
In this bustling city, it’s common to see young men in their early 20s speeding in expensive cars and getting into fatal accidents.
While the police regularly do road controls and check drivers’ documents, many say bribery and corruption often prevent them from effectively doing the job and ensuring that those who drive are qualified.
