By Njodzeka Danhatu
At least 8 students, a good number of, which are girls, have been allegedly abducted by gunmen in Sandpit neighbourhood Buea.
The students were taken near the premises of FOMIC Polytechnic, located in the inner quarters of Sandpit, Buea. Eye witness accounts hold that the incident occurred on Thursday, May 09, 2019 about 7am, as the victims were on their way to school.
A witness who succeeded to evade abduction, narrated to Atlantic Chronicles, what transpired. “Some unidentified gunmen came with guns as we played football at about 7am. They were about 10 of them. They asked us to lie down on the ground. They asked us questions. They asked whether we were going to school. They said those of us in Sandpit are enjoying and playing football, while they are sleeping in bushes”
According to our source, the gunmen carried away students heading to Government Technical High School Buea and others of Bilingual Grammar School. (We cannot independently confirm whether they are really students of those schools as no official statement has been made so far.)
Our source narrates “We told them that we are not students and they left us and carried away some students who were going to school” he said.
“Some were going to ‘lycée’, others were going to technical schools and they were mostly female. They carried about 8 of them and started beating them telling them that they don’t want to see anybody going to school again”, our source narrated.
Locals told Atlantic Chronicles that a group of soldiers were dispatched to the area, but arrived only after the gunmen has carried out their operation and disappeared to their hideouts.
It is alleged that some people within the concerned area, were taken for questioning by officers who were dispatched to respond to the abductions.
