Bamenda: Presbyterian Church Elder Killed During Shootings

An elder of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, Mambuh congregation in Mile 5 Nkwen, has been killed during shootings by security operatives in Mile 4 Nkwen, Bamenda, The Guardian Post has reported.

According to our source, Mabo Fidelis was hit by a bullet when security operatives raided a drinking spot at Mile 4 junction in Nkwen and started shooting. A source in Nkwen who was at the scene of the mishap reported that they only discovered the man lying dead when they rushed into the house after the security operatives had rounded off shooting.

The paper did not however report the reason for the shooting. But, there are reports that the bar attendant alongside an injured victim were taken away by the operatives.

The bar attendant had however been released at press time while the body of Mabo Fidelis had been deposited in the morgue of the Bamenda regional hospital mortuary pending burial.

The deceased said to have been in his 40s, was a father and a driver by profession. There are indications that he was not the target of the shootings and that a friend that sat next to him also sustained injuries.

The shootings led to a complete paralysis of activities a Mile 4 for a greater period of the day.

Even though Bamenda enjoys relative stability relative to most parts of the troubled English speaking regions of Cameroon, nocturnal gunshots have become recurrent therein as forces of law and order have intensified crackdowns against hubs of illegal businesses such as spots of consumption of marijuana and red light districts.

Of late, there were reports of mass arrests that happened in some parts of the city of Bamenda such as in Ntamulung, Ghana Street, and Ntabessi. The protracted night curfew has brought night activities in Bamenda to a screeching halt.