GHOST TOWN: Kumba Again Got Shutdown, Bikers Warn They Will Deal With Any School That Opens its Doors
GHOST TOWN: Kumba Again Got Shutdown, Bikers Warn They Will Deal With Any School That Opens its Doors
Kumba – Despite stringent measures imposed by the government on Anglophones in their two aboriginal regions in order to strangle them to give up the resistance, there has been no abating in the strike action, ghost town operations and schools are still closed.
In spite of all government communiqués on state radio and television announcing the resumption of classes this Monday, January 23rd, inhabitants of Kumba woke up to another ghost city today.
The streets were deserted and just a handful of persons could be seen going up and down. Few bikes provided essential services in restricted areas while taxis were rare to be found. Most businesses too are closed down including gov’t offices – it is more of a public holiday. We went to the Kumba main motor park that receives thousands of travelers’ everyday and it was completely deserted without even the sight of a fly. At one end, we spotted some police officers armed to the teeth.
Following the announcement made over state media of resumption of classes, we went around to ascertain the situation. We made a stop at the biggest school in
Southwest region, CCAS Kumba and the gate was locked with two armed officers standing by. We spotted no student and only a parked car gave us a sense of human existence. It was a similar situation with neighboring GTHS Kumba and KUCAS. At the Government Bilingual Primary school I, II, III and Government Nursery School Kumba Mbeng, the gate was closed and only a handful of teachers were present. We saw them leaving at about 11 am.
Over in Buea, some teachers who did not want us to name them said their own school ended in November 2016 and asked that we go and pray to God to liberate Anglophones. The situation wasn’t different in Manyu. The D.O of Eyumojock had made rounds on Sunday, January 22nd, convincing parents to send their children to school but they refused vehemently. When asked why, one villager exclaimed in pidgin; “go school na madness!”
Since last Tuesday, the government via telephone operators shut down internet in the two Anglophone regions in order to reduce information flow shortly after the arrest of Consortium leaders. Speaking to some bike riders in Kumba, they wondered how internet shut down would breach the strike action. Instead, they vowed to see all schools remain shut down especially with the arrest of people they call their leaders. “Make we see some man go school again, especially now whey them don catch wa leaders….. We go deal with yi.” One of the bikers said.
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