Bamenda: Gunmen Rob Person With Disability Of Sole Livelihood

Taxis On Fire At Che Street Bamenda

By Mokum Thomas

Levi, a physically challenged taxi driver in the city of Bamenda, has seen his only source of livelihood taken away from him in a twinkle of an eye. On November 20, 2024, armed men set his taxi, alongside another at the Ntarinkon neighborhood in Bamenda II, North West Region Of Cameroon.

Speaking to drayinfos.com Levi recounted his ordeal: 

“An owner of an ice cream machine hired me to transport his machine from Bambili to Ntarinkon. I accepted his offer, but he informed me that he didn’t have enough money to pay for the fare. Instead, he suggested that I carry a passenger to help cover the costs."

Levi futhers that:

"When we arrived at his shop and parked the motorcycle in front to unload the ice cream machine, I suddenly heard gunshots from behind. The bullets penetrated the rear window and came out through the front. I told the girl sitting in front of me to lie down so I could attempt to escape. Unfortunately, as I drove a short distance, I encountered another gunman who asked, ‘Peri, do you want to show us what you have?’ At this point, I stopped, and they poured petrol on my car and shot at it. Thankfully, it didn’t catch fire immediately. They then looked for a lighter and set my taxi ablaze.”

This incident marks the second time gunmen have razed a physically challenged person's taxi around that area.

Three families were directly affected by the fire on November 20: Levi, the physically challenged driver; the ice cream machine owner; and the owner of a second vehicle.

Since the outbreak of the socio-political crisis affecting the English speaking regions of Cameroon, many Anglophones have suffered significant losses, including lives, as they seek to improve their circumstances.

Advocate for dialogue as the most satisfactory way out of the despite though to the disatisfaction of many have not stopped calling for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

drayinfos.com