TENSION IN WUM
• Soldier cuts down biker
• Angry pop burns down barrack, army vehicles
• “Bens Skins” Lock Down Wum
• Fru Ndi Speeds to Wum
• 4 wounded bikers arrested from
Hospital bed Story, Randy Joe Sa’ah & Mih Ndze Fire has been burning in Wum chief town of Menchum Division. Irate youths burnt down the army barracks and vehicles Up Station to avenge the death of a commercial biker, Amih Leonel Ngong stabbed to death by a soldier. They set fire to barricades on various streets locking down the town. Then rampaging “Bend Skins” and other angry people confronted soldiers in their barracks with the corpse of their slain colleague and abandoned it in the military yard. Many of them were spoiling for a fight to avenge his death. A senior military officer is said to have opened fire on the demonstrators wounding at least three of them who were rushed to the Wum District Hospital. Some soldiers also reportedly became casualties in the confrontation. Military helicopters circled the skies of Wum town whilst reinforcements from Bamenda arrived the once peaceful town. The nocturnal drama started unfolding in Menchum Bar, a popular liquor spot in the heart of Wum. It was at about midnight when a scuffle ensued between the soldier whose name we got as Akam alias Alpha and Amih Leonel Ngong. They were both swimming in beer like other customers including female boozers when trouble erupted. It came to pass that the army man landed a slap on the Leonel in an attempt to separate a fight. Leonel reportedly hung on the soldier insisting he must explain why he slapped him. Leonel would keep on pesting him. Unable to shake him off, the soldier resorted to his weapon, a lethal knife and dipped it deep into his left chest, close to his shoulder. The victim bled profusely and died in hospital. Alerted on the happenings, the northwest administration and army hierarchy swung into action. They first despatched helicopters for surveillance. Then the secretary general in the governor’s office accompanied by military commanders rushed Wum. The mayor of Wum Dighambong Anthony who was also out of town at the time of the incident sped back to Wum. It did not take long for the leading opposition chairman, John Fru Ndi arrived. In one team, the visitors jointly visited the various scenes of action – the spot where the young man was stabbed, the military barracks, the wounded in hospital and the mortuary. Later they held a crisis meeting to restore peace and order in the Menchum divisional head quarter. Meanwhile, a total of four soldiers who were hospitalised alongside four civilian casualties were taken from their sick beds and whisked away. Some soldiers hinted that they were being taken to the military barracks for medical examination. But not every onlooker believed. Some thought it was just a nice way of arresting key actors of the incident – process that might likely end up in a military court. “Clearly these are prisoners of war. Them go smell pepper” an eyewitness told Menchum Voice. Nevertheless, they were spirited away in an ambulance. Menchum Voice was still tracking them at press time. CITIZEN JOURNALISTS AT PLAY As events unfolded in Wum, so did people with smartphones keep their fans posted with minute by minute vibes and pictures on Facebook. They did a great job breaking the news but many will appreciate them better if they did some crosschecking of their facts and figures.
Hospital bed Story, Randy Joe Sa’ah & Mih Ndze Fire has been burning in Wum chief town of Menchum Division. Irate youths burnt down the army barracks and vehicles Up Station to avenge the death of a commercial biker, Amih Leonel Ngong stabbed to death by a soldier. They set fire to barricades on various streets locking down the town. Then rampaging “Bend Skins” and other angry people confronted soldiers in their barracks with the corpse of their slain colleague and abandoned it in the military yard. Many of them were spoiling for a fight to avenge his death. A senior military officer is said to have opened fire on the demonstrators wounding at least three of them who were rushed to the Wum District Hospital. Some soldiers also reportedly became casualties in the confrontation. Military helicopters circled the skies of Wum town whilst reinforcements from Bamenda arrived the once peaceful town. The nocturnal drama started unfolding in Menchum Bar, a popular liquor spot in the heart of Wum. It was at about midnight when a scuffle ensued between the soldier whose name we got as Akam alias Alpha and Amih Leonel Ngong. They were both swimming in beer like other customers including female boozers when trouble erupted. It came to pass that the army man landed a slap on the Leonel in an attempt to separate a fight. Leonel reportedly hung on the soldier insisting he must explain why he slapped him. Leonel would keep on pesting him. Unable to shake him off, the soldier resorted to his weapon, a lethal knife and dipped it deep into his left chest, close to his shoulder. The victim bled profusely and died in hospital. Alerted on the happenings, the northwest administration and army hierarchy swung into action. They first despatched helicopters for surveillance. Then the secretary general in the governor’s office accompanied by military commanders rushed Wum. The mayor of Wum Dighambong Anthony who was also out of town at the time of the incident sped back to Wum. It did not take long for the leading opposition chairman, John Fru Ndi arrived. In one team, the visitors jointly visited the various scenes of action – the spot where the young man was stabbed, the military barracks, the wounded in hospital and the mortuary. Later they held a crisis meeting to restore peace and order in the Menchum divisional head quarter. Meanwhile, a total of four soldiers who were hospitalised alongside four civilian casualties were taken from their sick beds and whisked away. Some soldiers hinted that they were being taken to the military barracks for medical examination. But not every onlooker believed. Some thought it was just a nice way of arresting key actors of the incident – process that might likely end up in a military court. “Clearly these are prisoners of war. Them go smell pepper” an eyewitness told Menchum Voice. Nevertheless, they were spirited away in an ambulance. Menchum Voice was still tracking them at press time. CITIZEN JOURNALISTS AT PLAY As events unfolded in Wum, so did people with smartphones keep their fans posted with minute by minute vibes and pictures on Facebook. They did a great job breaking the news but many will appreciate them better if they did some crosschecking of their facts and figures.
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