When Jude, a taxi driver in Buea, left work and was driving home to his wife and kids, he had no idea that death was waiting for him just a few metres from his house. He was killed on Kawa Street in Bomaka, Buea, between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. yesterday.
MMI has learnt that Jude was not the intended target. Instead, he became collateral damage in an altercation between a suspected drug dealer and three armed men. The assailants allegedly came for the drug dealer, killing Jude first before shooting their primary target in the legs. The dealer, identified as Kudi, later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
Conflicting Accounts
There are differing reports about what exactly happened and who was responsible for the killings. One of the taxi syndicate leaders in Buea, who accompanied Jude’s body to the mortuary, blamed Ambazonia separatist fighters, commonly known as ‘Amba boys,’ for the attack.
According to him, Jude had briefly gone home to pick something up before returning to work. He lived between Kawa Street and Chief Street in Bomaka and had two possible routes to reach home. On his way back, he took the Kawa Street route, where he was killed.
Eyewitness Account
A resident of Bomaka who witnessed the attack while buying fast food said the incident unfolded in minutes. He reported seeing three gunmen riding a motorbike. As they rode past him, they spotted Jude negotiating a bend in his taxi. Realizing that he was working on a Monday—designated as a ‘ghost town’ day by separatists—they immediately fired at him through the windscreen. Images seen by MMI confirm a bullet hole in the windshield.
After shooting Jude, the gunmen continued to their intended target, Kudi. Upon finding him, they shot him in the legs before fleeing the scene. Kudi was rushed to Mount Mary Hospital in Buea, where he later died.
Who Are the Killers?
At this point, it remains unclear whether the killers were Ambazonia separatists or hired assassins.
Locals claim Kudi was known for dealing in drugs, though whether he had ties to the gunmen or if this was a drug-related dispute is uncertain. The taxi syndicate maintains that the attackers were Amba boys. Separatists have long opposed taxi operations on ghost town days, and in the past, taxi drivers have been targeted for working on Mondays. However, such attacks have been rare in the past two years.
It remains unknown whether Jude was killed as part of a separatist crackdown on ghost town violators or if he was simply caught in the crossfire of a dispute involving Kudi. Police have since launched an investigation into the incident.
Return of Motorbikes and Rising Insecurity
Residents of Bomaka have raised concerns about rising crime rates, which they link to the resurgence of commercial motorbikes in the area.
Before the Anglophone crisis escalated, Bomaka was largely accessible by motorbike. However, authorities later accused separatists of using bikes for attacks. As a result, the former mayor of Buea, the late Ekema Patrick Esunge, banned bikes in Buea in 2018. The ban helped restore relative peace in the area.
Now, as normalcy gradually returns to Buea, motorbikes are making a comeback in places where they previously operated. Unfortunately, some individuals are taking advantage of this to perpetrate crimes, raising fresh concerns about security in the area.
