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Esu village in Menchum division, North West Region has been pictured to be a ticking time bomb following the assassination of Fon Akum Achuo II and his wife yesterday.
With some Esu indigenes now accusing Fulani herdsmen of having committed the act, the days ahead may be deadly in the locality. Some locals are said to be spoiling to retaliate the killings.
Though also blamed on separatist fighters, some locals are said to be of the conviction that Fulani headsmen carried out the act.
A native of Esu declared that: “the Fulani have bitten more than they can chew,” further insinuating that “the aggression” has been recurrent from them in recent years.
“From the burning of our palaces, and the killing of our people to the assassination of royalty… The battle line has been drawn…” another local told told Mimi Mefo Infos.
The Fon and his wife reports say, were ambushed as they returned from Weh, where they had taken part in the coronation of Fon Mbhuh II.
The assassination since last night has left the people of Esu devastated. The state has been blamed for failing to take control of the precarious security situation in Esu with the Fulanis.
The locals have insisted that they will take charge of their village since the state has let go of it. “Self-defense and self-preservation are fundamentals to human rights and cannot be misunderstood to mean violence”.
The local population also argued that the bloodshed has been one-sided, hence cementing their reason for retaliation against the alleged authors of their Fon’s murder.
An immediate act to express discontent was the setting ablaze of the mosque. More action has been promised in the days ahead.
Social Media users have also reacted angrily to the turn of events in Esu.
“The government of Cameroon has failed to guarantee security and peace of the population. When the crisis started, the government disarmed all villages and armed the ‘mbororos,” another local said.
Another indigene suggested that “…government should be sued for arming Fulanis to cause insecurity and fighting amongst a people.”
One other suggested that “Dialogue is the key, but those who committed the act must be arrested and jailed for…”.
Many civilians have been killed in Weh, Wum, Esu and other villages but no investigations have ever been carried out. In cases where such are announced, the findings are never made public.
Authorities are yet to react to yesterday’s happenstance.
