What was supposed to be a momentous day for students across Cameroon as they began their GCE examinations turned into a nightmare in Oku, North West region.
An eyewitness recounted the harrowing events of Tuesday, May 28, to MMI, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisal. “The morning started off terribly,” they said. “A group of armed men, believed to be separatists, laid an ambush in Manchock during the night. It seems they didn’t find their target, likely the military, because by morning they were spotted and forced to flee.”
The witness continued, “Before leaving, they kidnapped 3 villagers after firing warning shots. Just 30 minutes later, as life seemed to be returning to normal, the military intervened. They started shooting from the Brigade towards Manchock.”
In the ensuing chaos, a young man on his way to his GCE exams at GHS Elak was tragically killed. “Everyone was scrambling for safety,” the witness said. “This young man was just passing the brigade when the shooting began. He ran into a nearby provision store, but it was already locked. He must have known the area well because he went into the back kitchen, where a woman and child were hiding. The military somehow saw him and dragged him out, shooting him in cold blood even though he wasn’t armed.”
The store owner, who had locked up upon hearing the gunfire, became another victim. “He couldn’t control himself after hearing the gunshots,” the witness explained. “He opened the store and confronted the military, but they just shot him too.”
This is not an isolated incident in Oku. The witness lamented, “This happens all the time here. Armed men come in, and kill whoever they want, especially in Elak. Then, the military comes in and arrests people, forcing them to pay huge sums of money before releasing them. The authorities stay silent on these issues.”
The violence in Oku casts a dark shadow on Cameroon’s education system and exposes the plight of civilians caught in the crossfire of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis.
