There was general pandemonium in Bamenda
yesterday following an attack romour emanating from Nkwen. Parents could be seen running all over the
city of Bamenda heading to schools where their children attend school.
When this reporter to All Saints Nursery and
Primary School Bayelle Nkwen several parents could be seen at the gate at about
1pm demanding to take home their children. However the gates remain locked. At
2pm regular closing time, the gates were opened and the panicking parents throw
themselves into the campus. In a mad rush, they headed to the classes of their
children. As they moved away with their kids with the Head Teacher holding to
her gate, she told this reporter that “I decided to to lock the gates till now
because there was no security threat here. I was surprise when I saw parents
rushing here and asking that they wanted to take their children. Some of them
even jumped over the gate but when I noticed that I immediately locked the
classes. I did that because many parents could not be here at that time to
collect their parents. If I had allowed them to take their children what would
have happened to the children whose parents were not here” The Head Teacher
whose name we could not immediate questioned in anger.
As the parents whisked away their children,
this reporter could hear one questioning the source of such a romour. A bike
rider who had showed up to collect his own kid explained “are you asking oga?
Today in mile four those boys visited a school and shut guns everywhere and
everyone had to be running for their dear life.” So how does that concern All
Saints? The angry and disappointed man questioned. Hear the bike man “my
brother if those people show up here there will be no time for questions and
answers.”
When this reporter stopped at Mile Four
Junction life was normal. No signs of panic. Questioning some business people
if there were gunshots here they accepted but found it difficult to tell the
where but pointed at GBHS Atielah but while there, the campus was empty. A
neigbour narrated “it was at about 12noon that some students started running
and passing here. I don’t know where why they were running but they say they
hear a gunshot.” Not confirming to have heard the gunshot, the neighbor said “I
didn’t hear the gunshot myself but no one can tell these days.”
While returning back to Mile Four in doubts,
another business man told this reporter “a gun shot was heard around Njengang
(a quarter in Nkwen) beside a school but cannot say where precisely.”
“I saw some guys with no dresses passing here
with bikes going up to GTC Nkeung while I was returning from school to get my
child after I heard that some kids have been kidnapped from a school around
center bolt Nkwen near another Secondary school called CAMSI.” A tired looking
lady told this reporter.
As at press time neither the military nor
school authorities were available to confirm location of gunshot or kidnap of
children. But the Heavy presence of forces of law and order indicate that there
was an issue but the magnitude seems to have been amplified.