Nwa: Outrage as suspected herdsmen butcher man, cuts off genital, severely injure wife.

According to reports gathered by The Guardian Post, the man, identified as Chunte Denis, was violently attacked in his residence in Gom village, alongside his wife, Chunte Bertha. The incident occurred on the night of Sunday September 17, breaking Monday September 18.   

The attackers, whom villagers claimed were Fulani herdsman, are said to have chopped of the victim’s hand and left severe cuts on his forehead and other parts of his body. The wife was also severely injured by the assailants. 

The man, believed to be in his late 20s, is said to have succumbed to his wounds while being conveyed to the hospital.

Following the attack, he was rushed to the Gom Integrated Health Centre where he was referred to the Regional Hospital in Bafousam.

Given that Monday was ghost-towned with no means for transportation, villagers were said to have mobilised and were transporting the man and his wife to the Bafoussam Regional Hospital, when the man breathed his last before reaching the medical facility in the wee hours of Tuesday.  

Going by sources close to the incident, the woman who suffered severe injuries is being attended to by doctors in Nwa.

The mortal remains of Chunte Denis, who leaves behind two kids, were said to have been buried yesterday.

Population parades corpse

Following the demise of Chunte Denis on Monday, the villagers of Gom, reportedly marched through the streets of Nwa to the office of the Divisional Officer, DO.

The embittered population reportedly stormed the office of the administrator with the mutilated lifeless body, demanding for justice. 

The authorities of the Subdivision, administered by Awuro Joseph, assured the population investigations would be opened in earnest to uncover the culprits. 

Despite the message of the civil administrator, the population is said to have expressed frustration, claiming that authorities have been silent on the repeated atrocities of the suspected Fulani herdsmen in the Subdivision. 

It is worth noting that Nwa Subdivision has been one of the epicentres of the farmer-grazer conflict in the North West Region.  

The attack, last Sunday, came after similar attacks in the villages of Ntcha, Mfe, Jan and Nwanti in recent times.    

It should be recalled that in the first quarter of 2021, some Fulani militia, reportedly raided about 18 villages in Nwa Subdivision, killing 17 people and wounding several others. The Fulani militia also looted and burnt about 100 houses and three churches.

These repeated attacks, according to a 2021 report published by the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, CHRDA, displaced over 4,000 people across Nwa Subdivision and Donga Mantung Division, between February 22 and 27, 2021.

It should also be recalled that last May 2023, the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO for Donga Mantung Division, Dr Nkwenti Simon Ndoh, banned grazing activities within the Mbaw Plain of Nwa Subdivision. 

The senior administrative official had stated that the decision was prompted by the recent escalation of farmer-grazier conflicts in Nwa Subdivision. 

Haven received multiple complaints, filed to his office on the irregular settlement of grazers in the typical farming zone, the SDO had specified that the ban was a “necessity to ensure peace and order are maintained”.