Bamenda: Many wounded as Gendarmerie Truck Destroys Several Vehicles.

 By Raymond Dingana

Many persons have been injured and several others are receiving medical attention in the hospital. This follows a head on collision of a gendarmerie truck and several taxis and other vehicles at mobile Nkwen, Tuesday night.

The mobile Nkwen neighborhood was the scene of anger and attraction following an incident that saw a truck belonging to the national gendarmerie destroying several vehicles at about 7pm, Tuesday October 20^th, 2020. The truck that left Finance junction and was heading towards mobile Nkwen reportedly left its own side of the road before hitting the vehicles.

After hitting the cars, the soldiers descended from the truck and started punching people causing many other vehicles to be hitting others in the course of trying to escape the wrath of the Gendarmes. Talking to DrayInfos, one of the victims by name Nji Martin whose taxi was badly damaged said, after destroying his car, they came and started threatening him.

“It took me by shock. This means that, had it been I was killed in the process, they would have gone just like that. They did not only destroy my car, but they went as far as threatening and harassing me not event wanting me to open my mouth. We don’t look for trouble in Bamenda, they said they are here to secure us, is this how security is being provided? I had three passengers and the lady that was in front suffered a fractured arm,” Nji said.

One Of The Vehicles Destroyed By The Gendarmerie Truck In Nkwen Bamenda.

According to another victim whose name we got as Kilian A., he was given two slaps when he attempted requesting for an apology from the gendarmes after hitting his car, “I was on my way to wash my vehicle when the military was descending from Finance junction. At first, I thought they had suffered a break failure. When I saw them leave their own side of the road hitting cars so violently that, the cars were hitting others behind them. One of the soldiers came and seized my car documents and gave me a slap. When I asked why he was slapping me instead of apologizing for hitting our cars, he gave me another slap before throwing my documents at me. ” Kilian indicated.

Anger could be seen written all over the faces of onlookers including passers-by and other cab drivers with some saying that, if not of the guns they were carrying which they said is their only source of power, they would have repaired all those vehicles before leaving the scene.

This is not the first time a military vehicle is destroying people’s cars and nothing is done about it. Some time ago at Veterinary junction, a taxi was hit several times causing many injuries on its occupants. Another vehicle suffered the same fate at the commercial Avenue some months back.

Not only vehicles have suffered. When the restriction of motor bikes from circulating around the urban perimeter went in to force, the gendarmes took upon themselves to be hitting persons on motor bikes.  All these were and are still being decried by the population but authorities have remained mute.