Cameroon’s Minister of Communication Rene Emmanuel Sadi says “separatist terrorists” attacked three schools on November 3 and 4 in Bamenda, Kumbo, and Limbe.

The Minister said four “separatist rebels” aboard motorcycles, armed with AK47 rifles, broke into Longla Comprehensive College, LCC, Mankon in Bamenda around 9:00 am on Tuesday, November 3.

“The outlaws opened fire at the school premises, before fleeing away from the scene after seeing a patrol team of the ‘Bamenda Clean’ Operation, which was alerted and promptly arrives at the scene,” Sadi said in a statement. “This resulted in a wave of panic among students and teachers, as well as parents living in the vicinity who came to the rescue of their children. Face with this situation, the intervention of the head of the said college and the reassuring presence of elements of the Defence and Security Forces made it possible for classes to resume.”

The Spokesman of Government said a few students and teachers got minor injuries as they rushed to safety in panic.

The same day, Sadi said, “Several hooded terrorists” broke into the Presbyterian Nursery and Primary School Complex (P.S.) Kumbo at about 9:00 a.m. abducting six teachers and ten pupils.

“Thanks to the timely intervention of Rev. Pastor Kwanyuy Venansius, the head of this school, a spontaneous mobilization of about fifty faithful and parents of students allowed them to storm the “Mbeluf” site, one of the strongholds of separatist rebels, located six kilometers away from the Kumbo downtown and to free the ten students that had been abducted,” Sadi wrote.

Sadi’s account of the Kumbo Schook Attack is at variance with the version of Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC.

Rt. Rev. Fonki said the gunmen “carted a total of 11 teachers and dispersed the children to go home unhurt.”

The government says, “The six abducted teachers are still in the hands of the separatist rebels…the Defence and Security Forces, as working relentlessly in collaboration with the populations of Kumbo for their release.”

The Minister of Communication said a group of about ten “hooded individuals, armed with knives and charms broke into the premises of the ‘Kulu Memorial College’ at around 12:00 noon.”

After firmly ordering the students and teachers to strip naked, and having subjected them to physical abuse and other physical violence, the assailants ransacked the premises and set a large part of the establishment on fire.

“Apart from the consternation that was generated, no loss of human life or injury was recorded,” Sadi said.

The government condemned the attacks, describing them as “odious and cowardly” and aimed at dissuading parents from sending their children to school and creating psychosis within the educational community.

Sadi, however, failed to explain the absence of promised security in schools across the restive North West and South West Regions, especially following the October 24 bloody attack on Mother Francisca Memorial Academy Kumba.

Source: Cameroon Info.Net