Yaounde: Man accused of killing partner escapes mob justice.

The woman, whose only name The Guardian Post got as Regine, is said to have returned home after taking part in her monthly Sunday “njanji” meeting. 

According to the husband of one of the deceased sisters, who pleaded for anonymity, his wife had to ensure that her sister gets a bike and gets home safely since it was late. 

The same source recounted that the deceased is said to have arrived home around 11:00p.m. He went further to add that Regine went back home with 500,000 FCFA which she collected from the meeting. 

It was at her residence that she is said to have met her untimely death. According to relatives, she was brutally beaten by her partner with whom they have been cohabiting for a while. 

A family relative told The Guardian Post that their “daughter was mercilessly beaten” by her partner. The source said her husband went as far as “pulling her hair off. Her entire body is filled with bruises”. 

It is still unclear what transpired between the couple. Many relatives disclosed that the dispute could have been caused by the money which Regine brought back home. 

However, the person who is said to be in charge of a popular drinking spot in the Biyem-Assi neighbourhood, which belongs to the victim, explained that she could have been in difficulties. 

This person, who could not be immediately identified, said that he called the victim around 2:00a.m. but couldn't reach her. She said someone picked the call the first time but was unable to hear anything. 

Desperate to reach the Regine again, he said he had to send another call across with the same results. He said although someone picked the call, the person did not say anything. 

He said all he could get was some “bizzare noise in the background”. 

The victim’s partner, several relatives confirmed to The Guardian Post, brought her lifeless body to the mortuary at the Biyem-Assi Hospital on a bike.

We gathered that he did not inform the family of the deceased of what had happened neither on his decision to unanimously deposit her body. 

“He brought her to the mortuary without telling anybody. It was another person who informed the family that the deceased lifeless body was at the mortuary. When we came, we discovered that she was only in her underway,” a relative said.  

“The woman helps him. The man lives with the woman. Be feeds him. She is the one paying rents and does everything for him. He changed his number. She died since you couldn't call anyone. You brought her to the mortuary. She wasn't sick,” the same source said. 

Drama at the mortuary 

There was drama at the Biyem-Assi Hospital when relatives of Regine learnt of her sudden demise. Family members, friends, customers, and sympathizers trooped into the hospital to mourn her loss. 

When the circumstances of her death started circulating, some of them decided to take matters into their own hands. 

An elderly woman, whom we gathered was one of the aunts of the deceased, upon arriving the scene, firmly grabbed Regine’s partner, who was standing and making use of his phone, and unleashed slaps on his face. 

Others tried to also have their pound of flesh. It was only thanks to the intervention of some nurses and the hospital staff that the man was saved and rushed into one of the offices. 

As the crowd grew larger, the atmosphere became tenser. At some point some relatives tried to force their way into the building to bring out who they described as their sister’s murderer. 

After over an hour, some officers of the Gendarmerie Brigade in Biyem-Assi later arrived the scene to restore order. They received reinforcement to quell the tension. 

After a while, they drove the man away under the disguise of a medical doctor. Some angry relatives chased the vehicle on which he was on board to an unknown destination. 

The man who hails from Bagangte in the West Region is said to frequently beaten Regine. But the latter, despite pleas from her family, insisted that everything was okay. It is also reported that a day before the incident, they are said to have had a fierce argument at her drinking spot. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3218 of Tuesday September 03, 2024