Ngarbuh: Government seizes villagers’ land to host military base without compensation

The massacre carried out by the forces of law and order in Ngarbuh wherein close to 22 persons were murdered including 13 children 9 of whom were beyond the ages 5, greatly infuriated Anglophones and the international community.

An inquiry into the carnage was launched and it was found out to have been carried out by the government forces as initially insinuated by witnesses. Some arrests after the inquiry were made and a military base was to be established in Ngarbuh to better handle such situations if they later arise.

The situation on paper is actually not the reality as villagers in Ngarbuh say the presence of the military in Ngarbuh has brough in more fear and terror into the region than the protracted security it was meant for. To begin with, the land used to establish the military base was arbitrarily taken from the villagers.

“The military just moved in with a caterpillar, cleared the area because it is kind of on a hilltop, destroyed two homes, built theirs and hoisted a flag” revealed a villager of Ngarbuh.

The locals say that the village had been completely deserted ever since the massacre happened. According to the inhabitants, it is easier living in coexist with the separatist fighters than the military as one of them attested “now with the military camp, nobody can even attempt to stay there”.

With the military haven taken the land and even destroyed the houses of the locals, they have become even more stranded and frustrated, building more anti military sentiments within the people and their new neighbours. With the growing hate that is building between the people and the military, nothing in the region can be said of haven taken care of another potential incident in the area.

The military according to people have always been a problem to the people and till their excesses are checked, there might still be a second Ngarbuh incident.

Mimi Mefo Info