What was first reported as the killing of four individuals in Nforya-Bafut has now been confirmed to be a larger and deadlier incident. Subsequent verification and expanded eyewitness testimony indicate that nine people were killed during the attack — four inside a restaurant and five outside.
Initial reports by MMI News stated that four men were shot dead after armed individuals in what appeared to be military uniforms stormed a local restaurant late last night. Video from the scene showed two bodies lying inside the bar in pools of blood, while two others were found motionless nearby. A man believed to have stepped outside to buy cigarettes and drinks was reportedly among the victims. At the time, the identities of the deceased and the affiliation of the attackers were unclear.
However, new information gathered in follow-up investigations paints a broader and more complex picture.
Five Killed Outside Were Separatists, Source Says
MMI has now verified that five additional people, killed outside the restaurant and not initially reported, were Ambazonia separatist fighters.
“They only showed you the four bodies because they didn’t want you to know the others were Amba boys,” the source said.
“The soldiers killed nine in total — four civilians inside and five Amba fighters outside.”
According to another source familiar with the incident, the separatist group is alleged to have kidnapped a man the previous day at Foncha Street Junction, demanding a ransom of 500,000 FCFA. Before payment was delivered, the kidnapped man was reportedly executed in Mbelewa.
“Those boys shot the man they kidnapped in Mbelewa before money even reached them,” the informant said. “That is what pushed the military to go after them.”
Security forces are said to have tracked the group to Nforya, where the confrontation occurred. The military allegedly opened fire, killing the five suspected separatists and four civilians in the process.
This update also explains why early reports, including the video tip-off sent to MMI, only referenced four victims. The original source, it is now understood, attempted to conceal the deaths of the five separatists.
Civilians Among the Dead, But Full Identities Still Unknown
Although some sources claim that everyone killed in the incident was a separatist fighter, available evidence does not support that assertion.
Another voice familiar with the incident told MMI: “Some people are saying all of them were Amba fighters, but the four in the restaurant didn’t look like combatants. They were unarmed.”
The four individuals visible in the circulated footage do not show signs of being armed combatants, and their status as civilians has not been disputed by the new information obtained.
Residents of the Northwest say such confusion is now routine.
“In this conflict, death always comes with rumours before truth,” a Bafut resident told MMI by phone. “No one is ever sure who is guilty or innocent anymore.”
The identities of all nine victims remain unconfirmed.
A Region Still at War
Extrajudicial killings and sudden armed confrontations have become tragically frequent in the Northwest and Southwest regions since the Anglophone conflict erupted in 2016. Both state security forces and separatist fighters are routinely accused of grave abuses, abductions, and lethal attacks on civilians.
This latest incident reflects the continuing uncertainty faced by residents caught between two forces — and the persistent difficulty in determining accountability when casualties occur.