By Tata Mbunwe
Three suspected kidnappers were caught red-handed in Wone village, Konye Subdivision, Meme Division, in the early hours of Wednesday, October 21, after abducting a prominent businessman from neighbouring Koba village and a businesswoman in Wone.
Village youths in Wone apprehended the suspects before they could escape, and upon questioning, they alleged they had been working in collaboration with gendarmes stationed at Buea Road in Kumba.
Weapons used during the operation were recovered from the suspects.
In a video that MMI News has received, the population severely molested one of the suspect and forced him to reveal their accomplices. The suspect alleged that they had been working with a gendarme officer to carry out acts of kidnapping and armed robbery.
The incident has heightened tensions in the area, with residents calling for a thorough investigation into the allegations of collusion between the kidnappers and security forces.
In an interview with My Media Prime, the head of the Meme vigilante committee, Desmond Tezo Mazaza, said the gang consists of 12 members, including four ex-separatist fighters and a military officer stationed in Muyuka.
He said the military officer, who heads the gang, has no links with the Kumba Gendarmerie company, unlike the suspects claimed, but has been posing as the company commander of Kumba to carry out the kidnapping.
The suspects were handed to security officers for further investigations after having been severely molested by the youths of Wone.
The incident has reinforced widely-held assertions that many members of the security forces collaborate with Ambazonia separatists and criminal gangs to carry out kidnappings and targeted killings, which have been rampant during the ongoing Anglophone Crisis.