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| UBa Holds Graduation Despite Amba Threats |
Authorities of Cameroon’s youngest State university of
Bamenda(UBa) in the North West Region of the country have ignored threats from
separatists to cancel the institution’s 8th convocation ceremony.
The
event which went underway this Saturday December 8, 2018, amid pockets of
gunfire and reports of deaths. Security forces are ensuring the event sails
through unperturbed.
At
least 3000 people comprising students, lecturers, parents and guardians have
defied the restive atmosphere to attend the event at the Bambili campus of the
state institution.
Security
elements were placed in strategic neighbourhoods of the municipality to
suppress any threats from suspected separatist fighters.
At least
three suspected separatists are feared to have died already following
confrontations early this morning.
One of
our sources in Bambili confirmed to The National Times that “true the corpses
are lying by the roadside. Security is tightened. Cars and people are few. But
the event must hold”.
According
to our source “the event is going to hold as students are braving it. Those
shot are alleged to be people who blocked the road. We saw the operation of
security forces around Grace Pharmacy Bambui”.
On Friday,
December 7, some students are said to have caught a suspected separatist
fighter and handed him to the University authorities who later handed the
suspect to the security forces. The National Times gathered that the suspect
has confessed to be part of a gang of gunmen that kidnapped some students of
the institution a few days ago. One other gunman remains at large.
The
University of Bamenda was created in 2010 following a President decree. The action came after years of political
lobbying and complaints from inhabitants of the Region. Given its Anglo-Saxon
heritage, matriculation and convocation ceremonies are of unique importance to
the institution.
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