Government Scales Up Security at the Bamenda Central Prison

Security has been beefed up at the Bamenda Central Prison after armed men, believed to be Ambazonia separatist fighters, made attempts to free all inmates on the night of Saturday, September 29, 2018.

No one was wounded but an uneasy calm is said to have returned to the detention facility.

An emergency security meeting is ongoing this morning. All warders are called to take guard daily; all warders must be on guard every night including senior staff and prison administrators.

It is alleged the gun men came to experience the prison environment and to test the security nature of the main prison in the region. It should be recalled that 80% of prisoners in the North West have been transferred to the Bamenda Central Prison because of continuous attacks and the freeing of prisoners in other prisons.

The Bamenda Central Prison is located at Up Station, host to the military base and administrative headquarters of the region. Sources say the armed men dropped a note that the real moment is coming and those on guard should prepare for a deadly battle.

The number of inmates at the Bamenda prison has continued to swell in recent years. The escalation of the Anglophone crisis further compounded the problem.

As at 2011, the Bamenda Central Prison was hosting 700 inmates which is thrice the normal capacity. But human rights organisations have revealed that the number of inmates increased between 2016 and 2018 especially after the transfer from detention centres and cells which came under attack in some conflict-hit towns and villages in the region.