Insecurity: Mile 17 Women March to D.O & Mayor After Explosion

Insecurity: Mile 17 Women March to D.O & Mayor After Explosion

Tuesday January 19 2021, Mbengwi is waking up to a new day of normal routines after the traditional Monday ghost town. Some early vehicles have successfully taken off for Bamenda. It's about 7:30am, an explosion sound is heard Booouuuummm!!! It came from the direction of Mile 17. Then rattling gunshot sounds follow suit. The morning has begun on the wrong footing. 

Mile 17 Women in front of D.Os Office

Sooner, scoops start circulating from ear to ear and online that the military hilux that usually transports soldiers from their Mile 18 base to the Ngyen-Mbo checkpoint just missed being shattered after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted on the road was detonated, targeting the vehicle but missed it just by a hair as it was going to drop the men in uniform. Circulation between Bamenda-Mbengwi is temporally brought to a standstill but later resumed about an hour after normalcy had returned but with repercussions. 

Just when many thought there wasn't really any cause for alarm, Mile 17 women took to the streets with peace plants in hand marching to the Divisional Officer's office who wasn't yet in office before continuing to the council. They arrived the council premise singing "We are one, We are together." Getting the disturbing sound around the council building for the first time since being elected, Mayor Ndangsa Kennedy of the Mbengwi Council quickly stepped down from his first floor office to meet the women at the entrance to the council building. 

The Women Tabling their Complain to the Mayor 

Their spokesperson will then channel their cry to the mayor in pidgin translated thus "Sir, we are women from Mile 17. Early this morning, the military came and  swept all our children, husbands to an unknown location and we don't know why. Just this few of us are left in Mile 17. That's why we've come to cry for you our father to find out the whereabout of our children and husbands" This she said shading tears before adding that she was molested requesting she brings her husband and she showed them his grave as he had long died, then one of the soldiers  ignited flames to burn  her room before his kind colleague quickly put out the flames. The mayor will then quiz them to get the exactitude of what really transpired from which he learnt the military rampage was provoked by the attempt on their lives.  

Having been assured that he is suspending all office work to go check at the brigade for their children and husbands, they women agreed to loiter around the council waiting for him. Sooner they learnt the Divisional Officer has answered present in his office and immediately left to meet him to table their complain. Sakwe Jarvis Esapa, the D.O of Mbengwi addressed them for over half an hour educating them on why the the mass arrest was done and why they have to report perpetrators of such acts in the community. "When something happens and those around that area are arrested, it doesn't mean they're guilty. In law, every accused is innocent until proven guilty with evidence" he explained. "Concerning the explosion that occurred, the first disposition taken by the forces is that any person around that area is a suspect and to be suspected is not to be guilty because it could still explode like that and rather kill them not necessarily the military because when a bomb is exploding, it doesn't take into consideration who is who" he added.

Pothole Caused After the IED Exploded

Sakwe Jarvis went as far as quoting the Bible that "The heart of man is desperately wicked" but agreed with the women that they've not come with any wicked agenda but rather for peace reason why they carried peace plants in their hands. Not long he will then say "The government has never been wicked for one second about her citizens. All what the government is thinking about Mile 17 is good" a claim that got the women quietly staring at him. 

He gave them the assurance that those arrested shall not be killed but questioned, counselled and advised to subsequently report such acts of terrorism immediately they see them being planned. While the disgruntled women were still seemingly doubting his words, he firmly told them that "I want to assure you as the D.O and representative of the Head of State here that  your problem shall be looked into and a solution brought forth. Be confident with my words because if you never trusted this office, you won't have marched here. When we give our words, we make sure they're executed."

Sakwe Jarvis Esapa, D.O, Mbengwi Dialogues With the Women

Before departing the women from his office, the civil administrator schooled them on the need to preach and practice peace every time every where. Quoting the Holy Book for the second time, he told them that "The Bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" then went further to interpret that it means for peace to come outside, you must have it inside.  he ended and the women shouted "Amen"

Having been fully convinced, the women returned, leaving behind one of them, a certain Madam Foncham, proprietress of Blessed Fountain Nursery and Primary School Mile 17 whose pupils and teachers were picked up in the cause of the raid. The D.O requested she stays back so that together they could go to the gendarmerie post to identify the school going children and get them out immediately. 

It's still business as usual at God's Time Enterprise, the "King Kong" of Electronics in Mbengwi.

Contacted on phone this Wednesday morning, the mayor confirmed to Mbengwi Online he actually went to the gendarmerie brigade yesterday to see how the situation can better be handled, this in collaboration with the D.O who he said is in charge of security matters within the municipality. The D.O on his part, reached on phone this morning also confirmed that the school children and an elderly sick grandfather were released in his presence after which he firmly instructed the rest to be freed before nightfall. These were some teachers, a nurse that came for a visit and others that were just randomly picked up and found innocent.