Meme SDO Says Nine Kidnapped Students, One Teacher Freed After Military Onslaught

The Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) of Meme Division in the South West Region of Cameroon has said all the students of Lords Bilingual Secondary School in Kumba and a teacher kidnapped Tuesday, November 20, 2018 have been released.

Ntou’ou Ndong Chamberlin told journalists this morning that nine students and a teacher were kidnapped by Amba Boys after they attacked the School Tuesday morning.

The SDO said a military operation led to the liberation of the students.
His words:”Immediately I got the information, I dispatched a team of security officials to investigate…during the all night counter attack, the forces succeeded to rescue three students, killed two of the assailants, seized five guns, burnt down the camp and three motorbikes they were using to disturb the peace and security of the people.”

He added that, the remaining six students and teacher were rescued this Wednesday.

“Today, the forces revisited the camp and discovered the teacher seriously injured after he was beaten by the boys. The teacher had succeeded to take the kids to their homes. During this second operation, two assailants were killed, four guns seized, one person seriously wounded…So in all four assailants including the head of the team have been neutralised…,” the SDO explained even as journalists sought to know where the six other survivors were, as only 3 of them were present this morning.

The SDO has advised the Amba fighters to surrender their weapons, promising government’s full support and collaboration with those who do so.

“I want to seize this opposition to call on all in the bushes to drop their weapons…I want to remind them that nobody, can ever fight the state or win the state. I am here with my forces of law and order to protect and secure the population..and we are ready to face anyone who attempts to disrupt peace…we are also ready to welcome you if you surrender…,” Ntou’ou Ndong Chamberlin said.

The injured teacher is currently receiving treatment in hospital.
Meantime, reports from the pro-independence fighters say they were not behind the kidnapping.

This is not the first attack on schools in Anglophone Cameroon.
Early this November, 79 students and three school heads were seized at PSS Nkwen Bamenda by gunmen.