Wum-Bamenda road: Suspected Amba fighters ambush travellers, shoot CPDM councillor to death.

According to sources on the ground, the politician cum traditional ruler, was among several passengers who came face-to-face with the armed men between the hours of 3:30 a.m. and 5 a.m., while travelling on that stretch of road.

They are said to have ran into suspected Amba fighters in the locality of Ngoh-Kesughu towards Befang, in Menchum Vally Subdivision.

We gathered that the armed men who said they were in search of a particular bike rider, had ordered all the bikes transporting passengers to Bamenda to stop.

The rider transporting the councillor is said to have panicked and attempted speeding off.

This, we gathered, provoked the gunmen who then opened fire on him and his passenger.

Mathias Bang, once a renowned businessman in his native Weh village, was killed on the spot after being shot on the back and leg, while the bike rider sustained injuries.

We gathered that Bang, who had travelled to the United States of America, USA, recently returned to assume the role of the Sub Chief of Tenegum, in Weh village. 

His corpse was transported and deposited at the Wum District Hospital Mortuary, while the rider who sustained injuries is said to be battling for his life in a health facility in Befang. 

Following the incident, several other bike riders who were plying the same road are reported to have been forced to return to base after being told they were being targeted.

It should be noted that the poor state of the Wum-Bamenda road, with some sections becoming almost impassable for vehicles during the rainy season, has forced travellers to opt for commercial motorbikes as the next possible means of transportation. 

In order to catch up with their engagements, most travelers using this stretch take rendezvous with bike riders to transport them as from 1 a.m and 2 a.m. 

This has left users of the road vulnerable to attacks, given the present ravaging armed conflict in the country’s English-speaking North West and South West Regions.

It should be noted that the shooting to death of Councillor Mathias Bang, comes barely days after the Donga Mantung Divisional Delegate of Sports and Physical Education, Fonye Derick, was also shot and killed by armed men around Ntabah Hill in the administrative unit. 

This also comes barely weeks after the Mayor of Belo Council, Dr Ngong Innocent and the Inspector of Basic Education for Belo, Dr Aghi Aaron, were brutally murdered on May 20, 2024, under unclear circumstances.

The killing of the government officials comes at a time the spate of insecurity across the North West Region that had died down, is witnessing pockets of resurgence.

In Bamenda, an Improvised Explosive Device, IED, which authorities attributed to separatist fighters, killed two persons and injured over 29, on May 25, 2024.

The incident caused the SDO of Mezam to place a ban on the circulation of motorbikes in Bamenda, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. 

Before the Bamenda explosion, another suspected separatist attack in Bambui, had claimed the lives of four persons, among them security officers.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No3133 of Thursday June 06, 2024