Arrests in B’da&K’ba:

8 Anglophones feared missing in Y'de

Divine Chemuta Banda

The National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms NCHRF, is still very preoccupied with the case of some people she presumes were arrested in B'da but are feared missing in Y'de.

                In a statement Wednesday last week in Yaounde, the Chairman of the Commission disclosed to the press that 62 persons were said to have been arrested in Bamenda but only 54 have been located.

                "The difference between 54 and 62 is 8," Divine Chemuta Banda extrapolated, adding that the commission is preoccupied with the whereabouts of the 8 people presumed to have been disappeared.

                The rights chairman guaranteed "our investigations are continuing to get to the root of knowing where the other 8 people are or whether it was just an over assessment."

                It should be recalled that many people were arrested on 8 December 2016 in Bamenda following the violent riots in the city to prevent the holding of a meeting of the ruling CPDM party.

                According to the rights and freedoms commission a total of 62 persons were reportedly arrested:

                38 of them were detained at the national gendarmerie headquarters (SED) in Yaounde, while 16 others that were held by the police were found at the military court.

                "The 38 at the gendarmerie appeared clean," the NCHRF statement said, noting that they were well treated and had two meals and two baths a day and had their clothes on.

                The 16 held by the police "appeared really dirty and worn out," the NCHRF noted, adding that they declared that for 14 days they had had no contact with family members or lawyers.

                The rights and freedoms commission called on government to hasten trial of the arrested persons and punish them if found guilty.

                But it at once condemned the arrest in Bamenda of 4 minors who were detained among adults in Yaounde and demands that the 4 minors be released without further delay.

                The NCHRF expressed regrets that the period allowed by the criminal code for arrested suspects to be tried is not being respected.  It pleads that the matter should be handled with due diligence.