Military raid leaves four dead in Kumbo!.

They are said to have been neutralised during a military raid.

It was not immediately stated while soldiers raided the area, but sources have since disclosed that the uniform men were on an operation to fish out armed separatists who have been giving residents of the area sleepless nights for several months.

Military raids have been regular in Kumbo and its environs, where Amba fighters frequently engage in running battles with soldiers.

The Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for Bui Division, Menyong Gilbert Sunday, yesterday confirmed Wednesday’s raid, when contacted by The Guardian Post via a telephone conversion. 

Responding to our call from Bamenda while attending a meeting, the administrator disclosed that four heavily armed separatist fighters were killed during the raid.

“The forces of law and order carried out some operations yesterday [Wednesday] around Ndzengvev quarter in Squares. During the operation, they neutralised about four terrorists. Their guns and other items were taken away while a shrine where they were receiving their charms was destroyed,” Menyong disclosed. 

The SDO said besides the neutralisation of the four separatist fighters, their weapons and other items were also seized by soldiers, during the raid.

Dispelling rumours that those killed were innocent civilians and not armed militiamen, the civil administrator was blunt: “It is not everything that we see on social media that is true. There is a lot of unverified information on social media”.

He cautioned that: “…we should stop allowing ourselves to be manipulated by people who propagate violence and information that can destabilise the nation”.

Assuring the people Kumbo of measures to ensure their safety, the SDO noted: “For now, the security situation is totally under control… the forces of law and order are on the ground to do their work”.

“I am calling on the population to continue to collaborate with security forces in order to wipe out these hoodlums who have come to instill fear and disturb the population from carrying out their routine activities in tranquility,” Menyong said. 

Raids on Amba fighters, it should be said, have been recurrent in Kumbo, which remains one of the epicentres of separatist activities in the North West Region.

Separatist fighters have frequently attacked State authorities, defence and security forces as well as public gatherings in Kumbo and other neighbourhoods in Bui Division.

In February this year, separatist fighters attempted to disrupt Youth Day celebration in Jakiri and Kumbo.

On February 11, armed separatist fighters reportedly seized the Jakiri grandstand, traditional venue of Youth Day celebration.

However, it was gathered that by some strange happenstance, the Divisional Officer, DO, of Jakiri, had earlier moved the venue from the grandstand to Government School field in Jakiri, adjacent his residence. 

Though the armed men are said to have stormed the grandstand, the Youth Day event in Jakiri was celebrated without hitches.

Still in Jakiri, Amba fighters are reported to have invaded a Catholic Church and a mosque on Sunday February 11, forcing worshippers to return home.

In a video that circulated then, the armed fighters could be heard ordering worshippers out of the prayer houses.