Mamfe massacre: PCC Moderator puts death toll at over 50!.

The fresh details in the number of persons killed in the attack according to the chief shepherd of the PCC is contained in a statement he issued yesterday. Besides condemning the act, the PCC Moderator reiterated that women and children were among those killed.

 He indicated that, it is “with a painful and troubled heart we extend our condolences to the families whose loved ones were brutally and inhumanely butchered in the arson attack in Egbekaw, Mamfe by armed terrorists”. 

The Man of God reiterated that human life is sacred and no one has the right to terminate the existence of another human being.

According to the spiritual leader, the signs across the globe point to “a spiral of violence in the world is getting out of hand. It is getting more evident that we in global religions are powerless over the course of evil events”.

He questioned what religious organisations can do to restore the world on a path of “peace, justice, love, grace, compassion, solidarity and equity”. 

Quoting scriptures in Mathew 5:4 and Romans 12:19, Rev. Dr. Fonki said vengeance is the Lord’s. He quipped that God will rise to comfort those affected and act.

Mamfe Bishop condemns killings, visits attack scene

Meanwhile, on Monday November 6, the Bishop of Mamfe, His Lordship Aloysius Abangalo Fondong had also issued a statement condemning the Egbekaw killings. 

Unlike the PCC Moderator who said the attack and killing was the handiwork of “armed terrorists”, the Bishop said those who staged the attack were unidentified gunmen.

The Bishop said there is no justification for the killings which he qualified as “a heinous act”, adding that “the massacre of human beings is an intrinsically evil act”. 

The Bishop later visited the scene of the attack before organising a mass at the Saint Joseph’s Cathedral Mamfe during which prayers were said for the peaceful repose of the souls of those killed.

Gov’t puts death toll at 25, orders investigations

On behalf of government, the Minister of Communication and Government Spokesperson, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, issued a statement on Tuesday, putting the number of people killed in the attack at 25. Nineteen of those killed, he said are men while five were women and an eight-year-old. 

Nine others, he said were injured and have been admitted in health facilities across Mamfe.

Minister Sadi said a “secessionist terrorist group” the Manyu Unity Warriors linked to the Ambazonia Defense Forces, ADF carried out the attack. 

According to him, the aim of the authors is to sow “terror and desolation in families” at a moment when the government to rebuilding the crisis-hit North West and North West regions.

He also disclosed that, authorities have ordered investigations to shed more light on the incident which he described as a “dastardly and despicable attack”. 

Minister Sadi restated government’s commitment to ensure the authors of the attack are tracked ad brought to book. 

Mass arrests in Egbekaw, chaired bodies discovered

On Tuesday, reports hold that, security forces effected some arrests around the New Layout Egbekaw neighbourhood as part of moves to get to the root of the attack.

Meanwhile, human parts scorched beyond recognition are said to have been discovered in one of the homes that the attackers razed. Another woman said to be 80-year-olf who suffered bullet wounds during the attack is reported to have also died later on at a health facility in Mamfe.

Also yesterday, the state broadcaster, read a release from over 500 elite of Manyu Division condemning the killings. In the release, the elite thanked the stakeholders of Manyu for remaining resolute in the face of the attack. They also urged the population to collaborate with security forces.

To recall that on the day of the attack which occurred around 3 a.m. Monday November 6, gunmen set fire on buildings, killing several persons in their sleep. 

Others who are said to have attempted to escape the carnage, locals said, were forced back into the flames. Some are rather said to have been cut using machetes while others were shot to death.