A 20-year-old student of NABESK Secondary School narrowly avoided jail time after being caught stealing plums at Sandpit, Buea—just a day before his General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-Level exams were set to begin.
The incident occurred around noon on Wednesday, June 4, when the student ventured into a plum farm situated a few meters from FOMIC, near the entrance of the former GCE Board office in Sandpit. He began harvesting plums, unaware that the owners of the property—a couple in their 60s—were working nearby.
The couple raised an alarm upon noticing the intrusion. As the young man attempted to flee, a confrontation ensued. The husband sustained minor injuries while the wife’s medicated eyeglasses were broken during the scuffle. The owners alleged that the boy wielded a machete and tried to attack them.
Irate youths in the area captured the student and, rather than handing him over to law enforcement, brought him to the quarter head (community leader). A crowd followed, shaming him publicly for stealing what many considered a trivial item—plums.
At the quarter head’s compound, the student was made to sit on the ground, encircled by members of the community. Upon questioning, it was revealed that he was a student preparing to sit for the GCE A-Level exams starting the next day.
Though unfamiliar to many, several students came forward to confirm he was indeed their classmate at NABESK.
“So instead of taking him to the police, which may prevent him from writing the exams, we have decided that we will allow him to go, but he must be caned,” one of the community elders declared.
The quarter head then consulted with a man who claimed to know the boy’s family. The man promised to ensure the student would stay out of trouble moving forward.
While the student was being shamed, the plum owners remained adamant that he should be taken to the police. But after much pleading from the community, it was agreed he would instead apologize and pay for the damaged eyeglasses.
In a heart-wrenching moment, a female classmate arrived at the scene, visibly distraught.
“Even if things were challenging, you should have called me. You should have come to me,” she sobbed. The boy, unable to make eye contact, also broke down in tears. The two embraced, crying together in what some described as a “Romeo and Juliet” moment.
The emotional scene sparked outrage among some classmates and locals, who criticized the farm owners for escalating the matter.
“What is plum for you to humiliate him like this?” one person asked.
“We know the condition of students in this town. There is no student who has grown up without experiencing stealing a plum or cassava,” another added.
Despite the sympathy, community leaders insisted the student face some form of discipline to deter others. A male classmate was handed a cane and instructed to lash the boy ten times on the buttocks while he lay face-down on the ground.
After the caning, the student crawled on his knees to beg the plum owners for forgiveness.
And that is how the young man was ultimately spared arrest—thanks, in part, to the compassion of his community and the urgency of his upcoming GCE exams.
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