Mbengwi: Shops Remain Closed After Sunday’s Shootings

Many are still scared to open their shops at the Mbon Market in Mbengwi Subdivision, Momo Division of the North West Region of Cameroon after last Sunday’s shootings that left two persons dead, a police officer, Rodrique Ngono who was the bodyguard of the D.O. of Mbengwi and a roast fish vendor by name Ngum Mirabel.

Many others were wounded including a pork vendor who was shot in the arm and told it was his last warning. Stray bullets caught many other civilians.
Reports say things were made worse when gunshots were heard at the Bome-Wumfi village in Mbengwi on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.

Sources in Mbengwi say many are still in shock and fear is all over the place:
“Many shops are still closed because of fear. The drinking spot where the police officer was killed stilled remained closed perhaps because it is a crime scene. All those selling pork, roast fish, grilled meat, and many others stayed away from their businesses this Tuesday and there are fears that things may continue like this for a while,” a resident of Mbengwi, Foncham Charles told Mimi Mefo Info.

Separatists kill police officer in Bali
Before the attack in Mbengwi, Saturday was a bad day for the police in Bali. An Inspector of Police, Omgba Ndzana Galan working in Bali Nyonga was killed and his car set ablaze.

“He was chased using a car marked Toyota Carina matriculated NW 135 AZ. He shot one of the tires of the vehicle when he discovered that armed men were trailing him. The boys too opened fire and disabled his car around Mile 86 Bali Road. He abandoned his car and escaped into the bushes but was caught and killed before his car was set ablaze. His body was only retrieved on Monday by heavily armed soldiers in armored cars,” said a driver plying the Bamenda-Batibo Road who opted for anonymity.

The vehicle that was used in the chase is in the hands of security officials. The vehicle was abandoned after the act had been carried out.

Galan was warned against traveling to Bali that Saturday by some civilians at Mile 90 Nsongwa who said suspected separatist fighters were on the way.

According to a cooked maize vendor we met at the Bamenda Food Market, Galan told them that he was not only well-armed but fortified.
Explosion in Bamenda, one shot dead
Tuesday morning was another bad day for the people of Bamenda. There was a loud explosion that followed heavy gunshots at Parcours Vita.

While some said it was an exchange between separatist fighters and elements of the Army Rescue Unit, others indicated that the gunshots came from the soldiers who fired in the air as they drove towards the scene of the explosion.

Soldiers shot and killed an alleged separatist fighter. Some persons however say the person killed was an unfortunate young man at the wrong place and at the wrong time.
Bamenda and its environs have recently been witnessing a surge in the level of insecurity. Kidnappings for ransom is now the order of the day.

Woman kidnapped
Just last Friday, April 1, 2021, a woman was kidnapped and a young man shot in the leg by armed men at the Cow Street Neighborhood in Bamenda.

At the time of this report, the woman’s whereabouts is still unknown. There are those who think that if the ongoing war in the North West and South West Regions is not put to a halt, killings, destructions, kidnappings and other forms of insecurity will never go away.