Anglophone Crisis: Woman Disappears into thin Air after Police Shot Husband Dead

The protracted Anglophone crisis has continued to take a toll on many families, most especially in Anglophone Cameroon, the flashpoint of huge trouble for over 7 months now.

While families of those who have been abducted by forces of law and order and taken to Yaoundé central prison and other detention units across the country are finding it hard to cope with this scourge, other families are fleeing for safety to neighboring countries. 

Mbazoa Elwige Francoise Epouse Dipeua
the wife of Dipeua Foncha John, that was shot by police during the December 8 protest in Bamenda.

One of those who have disappeared to an unknown destination, is Mbazoa Elwige Francoise Epouse Dipeua, the wife of Dipeua Foncha John, that was shot by police during the December 8 protest in Bamenda.

The December protest in Bamenda it should be recalled, led to the deaths of 4 persons and several casualties, according to official figures.

Dipeua Foncha John, was a partaker in the coffin revolution that took place on the 21^st of November, 2016, same day the Anglophone teachers announced a strike action.

He, Mancho Bibixi and 2 others, spearheaded the coffin revolution during which they carried a coffin from the popular liberty square in Bamenda to the Bamenda city council, in protest to the abject state of roads in the city of Bamenda.

While at the city council, they were all tear gassed by police that had received tipoff, that the protesters were marching to the city council.

This degenerated into a serious turmoil in the two Anglophone regions of Cameroon.

On the 8^th of December that same year, the same protesters blocked the Bamenda-Bali road that was used by the Prime Minister and the Secretary General of the CPDM, while the duo was traveling from Yaoundé to Bamenda for a planned CPDM rally.

A frantic effort by police to disperse the youths from mounting the barricade, caused a fatal standoff as police started firing live bullets in the air.

Mancho Bibixi, Dipeua Foncha John and 5 other boys, were chased by police right up to a swampy area at the Bamenda food market. Mancho Bibixi was shot twice on his leg but succeeded to escape with injuries.

Dipeua Foncha John, who was in the car with 3 other activists, managed to escape with the car after receiving several bullets.

He was then rushed to the Bamenda regional hospital by family members but was later discharged from the hospital when state officials launched a search for victims of gunshots during that period.

Family sources told TCR that, John was taken to a private hospital in Bamenda where he died on the 6th of February 2017, due to poor medical treatment. “We could not rush him to a bigger hospital for fear that police were going to find him and arrest him even in his deteriorating health condition; since we heard that many of the youths that were arrested on December 8 and that bore injuries, were taken to Yaoundé “untreated”, a family source told TCR.

Before police got news of his death, they continued searching for him. His house was raided almost on a daily basis by police, and this compelled his wife, Mbazoa Elwige Francoise Epouse Dipeua, to return  to Douala where she was leaving with the husband before the husband traveled to Bamenda during the crisis and was killed.

Sources revealed that  police convokes her and when she answered present at the police station, she was instead arrested and detained saying she must  reviled the other activist which the husband was with before he was shot by the police.  

She was later released on bailed and with the condition that she must bring the names of those she knows before completely regaining her freedom. It was after the bail that she escaped to her Native land Bandjoun in the West  Region.   

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Our sources disclosed that, while in Bandjoun, she kept receiving threats from anonymous sources that were also compelling her to disclose other SCNC activist that were collaborating with the husband. 

She then decided to return to Bamenda to  meet her husband’s family  and upon arrival, discovered that her husband’s house had already been set ablaze by unknown persons.

“We cannot understand why police are searching for the wife they are aware that the husband is dead we don't know what contribution the wife has in this situation and to add more insult to injury the husband house has been set ablaze”  a family source said

Following the burning of John’s house, the destitute wife fled to an unknown destination.

TCR also gathered that, a sudden trauma caused her some health disorder and she was hospitalized for that, before her disappearance.

Police have reportedly continued a desperate search for her.

As of now, her whereabouts are still not known and family sources are equally very disturbed as to where she has sought refuge.

Fears also abound that, the wanted lady might have committed suicide.

It should be recalled that, after talks between the Anglophone civil society consortium and government collapsed, government began a crackdown on Anglophone activists and this affected many families as over 100 Anglophones were arrested, albeit official statistics claim that 71 were arrested.

Internet connectivity was also cut down in the two English speaking regions as government sought to forestall social media mobilization for civil disobedience against the regime and the Anglophone consortium that was spear heading the Anglophone struggle was outlawed hitherto.

Till date, 25 Anglophones are facing trial at the Yaoundé military tribunal while the rest are still under pretrial detention.

Meanwhile, Tassang Wilfred, Barrister Bobga Harmony, Hon. Joseph Wirba and other frontline activists, managed to escape on foot through Nigeria to America and Europe; while others remained in Nigeria from where they have been calling the shots of the struggle.

FHM