Fear and panic gripped residents of Baingeh in Kom-Moghamo County on Tuesday after a local transport vehicle popularly called “Clando” lost control and crashed into thick bushes along the deadly stretch near Dr Timti’s Hill shortly after GCA Wombong in Njinikom.
The accident, which nearly turned fatal, involved several passengers, including children, who were travelling through the hilly road linking villages in Kom. Witnesses on the ground said the driver reportedly lost brakes while descending the steep hill before the vehicle swerved off the road and plunged into nearby bushes.
In what many residents have described as a miracle at Ground Zero, no deaths were recorded despite the terrifying nature of the crash. Passengers reportedly escaped with minor injuries and are currently receiving treatment.
Locals familiar with the road say the area around Dr Timti’s Hill has become a death trap for commuters due to the deteriorating road, reckless overloading by drivers, and the poor condition of most commercial vehicles operating in Kom.
Residents who reacted after the incident blamed the frequent accidents on the dangerous culture of overloading commonly practised by Clando drivers plying the Bamenda-Kom axis. According to testimonies gathered after the crash, vehicles designed to carry four passengers and a driver are often forced to transport up to ten persons at once, including excessive cargo packed inside the boot.
“Driver di carry five to six people for back and three to four for front. Wuna fit imagine say driver di even share yi seat with another person? Mutrung,” one frustrated resident lamented.
Others say many of the vehicles operating in the area are mechanically unfit for the road, producing smoke and loud noises, but still being forced into service because drivers struggle to survive under difficult economic conditions.
Travellers along the route reported repeated breakdowns of vehicles between Kikfuini, Belo, Mbingo and Bambui, exposing passengers to constant danger. Some residents argued that drivers are not entirely to blame, since many are under pressure to recover large sums allegedly spent at numerous checkpoints along the road.
According to residents, there are more than 15 control points between Bamenda and Kom, excluding additional roadblocks set up by armed actors during festive periods. Drivers reportedly spend heavily “settling” forces at checkpoints, whether or not their documents are complete.
The latest crash has once more reopened public anger over the poor state of roads in Ambazonia, corruption at control posts and the continued circulation of ageing transport vehicles across dangerous rural routes.
Many residents now say authorities and all forces controlling checkpoints should reduce excessive roadside extortion so that drivers can save money for proper vehicle maintenance and safer transport operations.
“For this road, if they stop too much control and overloading, accidents will automatically reduce,” another resident stated after the incident.
