Buea Mayor plays Pontius Pilate after accusing ‘settlers’ of bomb attacks

Days after a peace march led by the Mayor of Buea Municipality, Barrister David Namange, the official has reacted to comments over his declaration at the march.

Recent terrorist attacks in the town, the official had said, were carried out by none-indigenes of the town of Buea.

In a November 16 release signed by the head of the cabinet at the council, he said the mayor “Refutes the above-mentioned allegation which is out to propagate hatred and division between the indigenes and the nonindigenes.”

“The Lord Mayor,” the release went on, “seizes this medium to inform the public that the management of Buea council has never and will never be a propagator of hatred among inhabitants of the Buea Municipality.”

The document went on to cite the now controversial interview in which the Mayor made the utterances.

“As mentioned in the interview which he granted to pressmen immediately after the peaceful march of Friday 12th November 2021, the Lord Mayor reminded members of the 4th estate that the denizens of Buea, the City of Legendary Hospitality are a very peaceful and welcoming people who are glad to receive people from all the different parts of Cameroon,” it read.

The Mayor, it added, “is therefore reminding pressmen to exercise some caution, restraint, and fairness in the discharge of their duties as journalists given that false information can lead to social tension.”

At the said march in which he was accompanied by Member of Parliament, Hon Malomba, the mayor had clearly said: “… we are not glad when we find that some misguided individuals who have been received in Buea have come for violence. Some have started planting explosives in taxis to kill our drivers…”

The Mayor of the town of Buea is not the first high-ranking official to make such remarks. In addition to his now-deceased predecessor, many other top officials have made similar remarks. Notorious among them is a traditional ruler who doubles as a member of the country’s armed forces.

The said officer who has been caught on record uncountable times making similar declarations has ironically, been given a pat on the back by many of his superiors including the Prime Minister.