Military Caterpillars Raze Primary School in Small Ekombe

Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Military Caterpillars Raze primary school

At the time when the government is seriously fighting to restore calm in the restive Northwest and Southwest regions gripped by the ongoing Anglophone crisis, the military has instead ironically embarked on the destruction of a private school located in Small Ekombe, Mbonge Sub-Division in Meme Division of the Southwest region.

            The military destruction on Queens Nursery and Primary School with the use of a caterpillar was made known through the Lake Site radio, a Kumba base local radio station on their early morning programme broadcast weekly from 5:30am-6am dubbed ‘Events, People and Places’ on Friday June 15, 2018.

            In an exclusive telephone interview with the broadcast host Sir. Nyambot Divine, the proprietor of the said school, Mr.Nkem Solomon made scathing revelations, holding Cameroon’s defence and security forces squarely responsible for the complete destruction of his institution.

“…when this incident of people leaving the villages came up I had to travel to Buea to spend some time since my wife wasn’t well. I received a call yesterday (Thursday June 14, 2018) from parents who happened to have gone back to the village (Small Ekombe) just to see that the whole institution had been pull down by the caterpillar. Those who were eyewitnesses hiding around the area told me that the military was on the caterpillar putting down the building” Nkem Solomon narrated to the programme host in the interview while emphasizing that the act was done at around 12:30pm.

            Quizzed if the school was located by the road or what could be so peculiar about the school for it to have been destroyed by the military, Nkem said “I don’t know. It happens that the school is along that Kidongi road where you have GSS Small Ekombe, then the SOROUBAT Company which was there and my school” adding that the school had even benefited some works on the levelling of its frontage from SOROUBAT Company.

            Further quizzed on who destroyed the school by the programme host, Nkem the school proprietor reiterated “the eyewitnesses around there said it was the military that pushed the down the building” adding thatthey weren’t functional because of the crisis “ we were not functioning but it’s not too long that we just finished putting up the building completely for children to go in now that the academic year is at hand. We had plans to go there and see what we can do for children to start school in September”Nkem revealed in frustration and confusion on what next to do.

            Nkem revealed the Meme administration has not formally been informed of the situation saying “but we have a process of doing it because am in Buea and am not around. But some (Meme administrators) have been told by phone and I have even tried to call some people in Yaoundé to inform them. But you know administration is writing so we have to put them on paper. I will see my Divisional Officer of Meme and other authorities around there so that they should know.Already, I have even tried to contact some of the delegations there in Kumba and most of them are informed already as well as our education secretary in Buea”

            While further his frustration by the act of the military Nkem indicated that “Queens Nursery and Primary school is an approved school and we have been suffering for more than 16 years in that school now. We have suffered for 16 years to put up that school with our small savings to put up a whole structure of that nature with eight classrooms, 200 benches, tables, chairs and most of the things that were inside the school have been smash down by the caterpillar” NkemSolomon angrily recounted putting the estimated damage to the sum of FCFA 30 million adding that the PTA presidents are all aware of the incident and have visited the school to see for themselves the damage.