By Darrion Fozo and Nchini Julius
In our follow up to the story of ordinary citizen caught up in a web of extortion by government and separatist forces in the continuing Anglophone crises in the Northwest and Southwest regions, our reporters uncovered more evidence in an increasing case of brutal extortions reported in the Alahbukam and Ntankah neigbourhoods of Bamenda.
Considered as the epicentre of the eight years old armed conflict in Mezam Division, Alabukam, on the road between Bamenda and Mbengwi – capital of Momo Division and Ntankah between Bamenda and Bafut continue to witness many cases of kidnapping for ransom by armed separatists to fund their war efforts.
Our investigations also uncovered many cases of extra judicial killings and arrests of individuals by state forces that end up paying huge bail before they are released. We could not independently confirm some of the cases we were told. But what is clear s that the vicious cycle of kidnapping, arrest for money and killing of the civilian population has led to many male residents of Alahbukam and Ntankah like in other suburban parts of Bamenda fleeing out to other areas and even out of the region.
Che James (not his real name) was teaching at one of the public schools in Alahbukam and was well known in his community. Despite not teaching since the unset of the conflict, he opted to remain in his Alahbukam.
“This was my community, I had a means of subsistence, life was cheaper here and I had many ties to the community” he told Cityweb from a relatively safer location in Bamenda.
He told Cityweb that on that unfortunate day, he met a military patrol on his way back from the farm and was detained and transported to the BIR camp (Bafut Airport). Despite his denial, he was accused of carrying recognizance missions for separatist fighter who recently attacked a military convoy in the area.
“Unfortunately I was not carrying any identification paper and all my explanation failed to convince anyone” he said. He described it as a bogus charged that was only meant to scare him and easily extort his family money.
Asked if he had ever been kidnapped by the Boys as the separatists fighter are commonly known here he said no. But will not comment further whether he had paid liberation taxes or not to separatist fighters. Telling us “as a man you need to do everything to stay alive”
Che said he had to move out of Alahbukam first because he was very sure he would be taken by the boys after his ordeal with the security forces and secondly it was becoming increasingly more dangerous in the area due to the frequent attacks on security forces and kidnapping of civilians. He said he is looking for means to take his family somewhere far because he is never safe from the boys. When asked why he thinks he isn’t safe he said “once you have a skirmish with the military or the amba fighters the other side accuses you of being a black leg (sellout) and always use it as a means to take money from us.
When CityWeb descended to Alahbukam and Ntankah, our reporters noticed several abandoned buildings, many with bullet holes indicating intense fighting in the area between the two forces. A deep seated fear of reprisal also blankets this communities. Many residents are reluctant to talk to our reporters for fear of reprisals by separatists and state forces alike. The few that opened up to us were mostly elderly women who spoke of many challenges living in the community with most young people gone or caught up in the fighting.
A widow we met at a near the abandoned Government Technical High School (GTHS) Alahbukam recounted her situation to us. “My son left us after he was detained by the soldiers and later kidnapped by amba” she said adding “I had to sell my late husband’s prized land for peanuts to pay for the ransom” she said in pidgin English.
“What can they do to me anymore” the widow who identifiedherself only as Mami Nchang exclaimed, “my son leaving me is the worst they can do.” She said when we asked her if she is not afraid of reprisals.
“I don’t know his where about” she said pointing to what once stood as his garage which lay charred and abandoned. “I just want him to go and not look back. This place is evil it’s either you are a perpetrator or victim”
Though nobody will openly accept, many of the families here have children who are fighting with the separatist groups too. Some have been killed and others are still active.
According to Mami Nchang, the son had to leave following detentions and kidnapping by state and non-state forces.
Not far from her we were shown two graves of two brothers reportedly shot by the military. Neighbours say there corpses were only found several days after their disappearance in in another village several kilometres away. Nobody knows who was responsible for their death but believe it was by the security forces because they were killed execution style.
Burying relatives shot by military is a complicated issue. Most of their remains are left to decompose while the relatives seek police/military clearance and in most cases pay huge sums of money to claim the corpses.
On the other hand many find corpses of loved ones dumped along the road or major junctions by separatist. These are the so called “black legs”, people believed to be spies, sympathic or friendly to state forces.
Alahbukam and Ntankah are notorious suburbs of Bamenda, and have been the Operating base of some notorious Amba (separatist fighters) commanders like “General Cross and Die” (killed in Oct. 2021) , “General Mad Dog (2020)” and , the localities has been a rich picking ground for separatist sympathisers as referred to by the military.
The recent stationing of security posts in parts of Alahbukam and Ntankah is gradually bringing in some semblance of state control in the area. While some residents welcome it others say it’s provoking more violence and extortion from both camps.
Another resident who confided to city Web said the security control has led to more arrests as well as more guerilla styled attacks from the separatists. This same resident said his neighbour was kidnapped a few metre from military control post at Mulang at the entrance to Ntankah, blaming both security and separatist fighters of cooperating against the civilian population.
“Why do they operates control post barely hundreds of metres from each other, why is it that if you are kidnapped or arrested by the police or the seperatist fighters the next day or not long after that you find yourself in the amba’s camp or detention cell” the Ntankah resident told us fully convinced both forces are extorting from the poor masses
While there is severe censorship on the reporting of separatists groups by the government, the military on the other hand does not give out any press statements or accounts of military or civilian deaths during their operations.
A recently released detainee from the Bamenda Gendarmarie Legion said he was detained alongside a number of soldiers arrested on suspicion of extortion, unsanctioned operations and carryout military excesses, an indication that government is clamming down on military excesses. But the truth on the ground is that the anglophone crisis is having a heavy toll on the civilian population which continues to suffer in the hands of the men with guns.
