Bamenda Bombing: Nigerians Suffer Huge losses, Union President Appeals For Help
By Raymond Dingana
The Nigerian union President in
Bamenda, Prince Otobong Ituen has appealed to both the presidents of Cameroon
and Nigeria to come to the aid of victims of what is now known as Women’s Day
bomb attack in Bamenda, chief town of the NWR of Cameroon. He was speaking to DrayInfos Tuesday March 10, 2020 at the
secretariat of the Nigerian union in Bamenda.
According to Prince Otobong, the
victims lost all what they have worked for more than 20years saying the
governments of Cameroon and Nigeria should consider given them a helping hand.
“I want to appeal to the country of
Cameroon and Nigeria to deem it necessary to consider assisting these victims
of the fire outbreak triggered by the bomb blast. All what they have worked
for, for many years were destroyed. They have taken loans from the banks, and
if care is not taken, they can even commit suicide. I belief that, the
government of Cameroon and that of Nigeria will deem it necessary to come to
the aid of the victims who lost goods worth millions of FCFA just in a twinkle
of an eye”. Prince Otobong
said.
Prince Otobong Ituen also indicated
that, Nigerians have suffered enormously as a result of the crisis saying they
are going through a lot of psychological trauma. He also appealed to the
government of Cameroon to find a diplomatic way of bringing the crisis to an
end saying no political problem can be solved by guns.
Appealing to the non state armed
groups, he said they should give peace a chance and that both sides should sit
on a round table and negotiate an end to the crisis so that the dead and
destruction can be brought to an end. He lamented over the lives that are being
lost on both sides as the crisis continues to persist.
To his own government, Prince Otobong said,
the government of Nigeria should also do something by working with Cameroon
towards a peaceful end to the crisis and that, no one can create life and so,
no one has the right to take away life.
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| Nigerian union President in Bamenda, Prince Otobong Ituen |
According to Mr. Festus
Ndianaefor, dealer in mattresses, plastic and
wool carpets and many others is one of the victims of the fire incident; he
said he was in his house when the sad news got to him: “I was in my house on that Monday when my son called me and
said my shop was on fire. I was so shocked and I rushed to see what was
happening, when I got there, I saw that everything have been burnt to arches. I
don’t know where to go and how to start again. Oh, I regret stocking my shop on
that Saturday evening, the eve of the fire outbreak”. He lamented.
On his
part, Alexander Umekekwe, another victim of the fire said he has lost all what he
gathered for many years. He said he is confused and that when he got the
information, he felt like my whole life was coming to an end. He also appeals
to government to look into the matter and also give them a helping hand.
The
bomb attack that allegedly caused the fire that is now known to have ravaged
closed to nine shops also left one dead, and about ten wounded with some
severely. This was when a locally made bomb went off few meters away from the
Bamenda commercial avenue grand stand on Women’s Day just when NW governor was
addressing the women.
Photo Credit: Laary Uchena, Laary NewS Room
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