Soldiers Kill Colonel’s Niece and Dump Corpse in Raffia Palm Bush

Soldiers Kill Colonel’s Niece and Dump Corpse in Raffia Palm Bush. My House in Kugwe destroyed by BIR Soldiers.

Soldiers of the paramilitary force known by its French acronym of BIR shot and killed a woman related to, Army military Doctor, Colonel Godfred Tembeng Weriwoh in Kuruku village, carried and dumped her corpse in a Raffia Palm bush on Sunday February 25. A young boy, Steroid Atim, was also shot on the rtight leg and later on the left. The assassinated woman whose name is Emilien Unyah hails from Ennen village (the village of the Colonel) and is married to a Kuruku husband by name Aaron Temban. She leaves behind 3 children and a husband, Aaron Temban. Kuruku is one of the 22 villages that make up the Moghamo tribe in Batibo Sub Division. Colonel Dr. Godfred Weriwoh is known for transforming and modernizing a decaying Douala Military Hospital in 1993.

Speaking to this writer, the wounded boy Steroid Atim said that the soldiers who were about ten in numbers stormed the village at past midday and started shooting at random. He revealed that he was by the deceased house and received a bullet on his right leg. “Mrs Emilien Unyah saw how they shot me and ran into her house. I saw the soldiers follow her in and fired several shots before coming out” he said. And to add that when he started shouting that Emilien Unyah has been gunned down, the soldiers (four in number) entered the house and pulled out the corpse of the lady and dumped it in their Pick-up truck. “I was also carried and dumped in the truck like a log of wood” Steroid Atim said. About a kilometer away, the soldiers removed the corpse of Emilien Unyah and dumped her at Raffia Palm bush and then proceeded some hundred meters away to dumping him as well in the bush. Before leaving, the fired gun shots with the hope of squeezing live out of fortunately the bullet did hit him but on the left leg.

It was after the soldiers left that the young man scrawled to the village to alert people on the whereabouts of Emilien Unyah’s corpse. The corpse was collected from the bush; traditional rites performed and buried the same Sunday evening. Unfortunately could not be taken to the Hospitals for treatment. This writer was told that a Bike rider transported the wounded Steroid Atim for the Hospital but was stopped on the way by Gendarmes on control who ordered the rider to return to the village with injured. No reason was given for that order.

Mayhem in Kugwe Village

At 2 PM on February 28, I received a phone call from my Kid sister currently lying sick at the Bamenda Hospital. She has a large wound on her right heel that she suffered from an accident a year ago. “I just received a phone call from one of her sons that soldiers have destroyed your house in the village (Kugwe) and everything scattered outside” she told me. She further revealed that the house of the late Mathias Ndum (my cousin) opposite mine was destroyed too. My sister told me that the son informed him that the soldiers destroyed many houses and said that they were looking for money. The house of Akum Stephen, a naturalized American currently in Boston was damaged too. I was told by other villagers that the soldiers claimed that they received information that my sister who prepared food for the Ambazonian soldiers. That appears to be strange for someone who moves around with difficulty. However, in a normal society, such “vital information” would enable security forces carry out serious monitoring for strong evidence, not barbaric acts.

About fifteen houses were destroyed in Kugwe village and people’s properties either looted or scattered outside the houses. “Ni they have destroyed the door of my house, scattered the bed, collected all the boxes and took them outside, make away with some of my nice wrappers (loin cloths) and then scattered the boxes in the yard. They destroyed six 20 litres plastic containers full with Palm oil that I packed in the house and the whole house is littered with oil” one wailing woman told me on the phone and to add that the soldiers claimed that they were looking for money.

I was told that no shooting took place in Kugwe and that the soldiers, on retreating announced that if the villagers do not provide them with information about the Ambazonian soldiers, the whole villages of Moghamo will be wiped out. The soldiers are said to have told the villagers that if they wanted to stay in peace, they (villagers) must collaborate with them as one person in Kugwe told me.

Kugwe is the fifth village in Batibo Sub Division where BIR soldiers have carried out wanton destruction of properties and looting. The others are Angie; Enyoh, Kuruku and Ambo. In Ambo village, stores were broken into and beer drank or destroyed alongside other provisions found in the store. Ferrand Ta’ah, a young man selling Android phones lost phones worth 700 000 FCFA to the soldiers, he as well gave them 150 000 FCFA in cash. In Angie, the BIR soldiers ransacked the Chief’s Palace on the claim that being a renowned traditional healer he was the one preparing the concoction used by the Ambas fighters to enable them disappear and appear. As it did happen in Ambo, shops were broken into and provisions found inside looted. In Enyoh; The houses of Retired Warder, Rubben Tenjo, Seaman Christopher Tenjoh around the Tad market were all broken into and their belongings shattered. Mr Victor Kis; a farmer resident in the South West just arrived the village with money to build a new house. The BIR soldiers attacked his house and made away with 4.5 million Francs CFA in cash.

“They shoot on all TV sets and Disc that they find on their way. If you have an expensive mattress, a dress or flat TV screen, they will carry it away” a woman who fled from one of the looted and vandalized villages and is currently seeking refuge in Douala told me. The woman said that she lived in the bush for almost a week. “One only steals to the house at around 5 AM to collect a pan, oil, salt and some dresses” she said. She said that she was forced to run to Douala because the situation became unbearable. But regretted that he left a son behind in the village because he has no Identity card that could enable him to travel pass the numerous Police and Gendarmes controls that liter the highway.

By Aaron Agien Nyangkwe

Culled For BaretaNews