Anglophone Crisis:

School Burnt, Teachers Chased Away in Etam near Tombel

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

A mysterious fire has ravaged Government Primary School Etam I in Tombel Sub-division of Kupe Muanenguba Division. The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday 23 January 2018 with the villagers watching helplessly how the fire moved from one classroom to another.

It is said that, a day before the incident, a group of unidentified young men stormed the village with machetes and chased away some teachers who were on the school compound waiting for pupils to teach.

                The situation was immediately reported to the Village Chief, Kome Alobwede, who in turn reported to the administrative and security authorities in Tombel, we learned.

                Effective learning had hardly commenced in the school since the start of the academic year as teachers would come to school daily but would not find any pupils in class.

                It is suspected that the fire was set by the Ambazonia fighters especially as Etam I is known to be one of the hotspots of the Anglophone crisis.

                At press time we could not get administrative authority to comment. But what still surprises many is why a school that has not resumed effectively be set ablaze?

                The incident brings the number of primary schools that have been burnt in the SW region since the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis to 12. Only recently, the Regional Delegate of Basic Education for the Southwest told Governor Okalia during a coordination meeting that11 schools had so far been burnt in the region.