Cameroon: military justifies summary execution of civilian in Bamenda. 13-07-21

Sunday July 4, the death was announced of Ngoran Djibril Dubila, shot by uniformed officer(s) at Below Foncha, Bamenda III Subdivision, North West Region of Cameroon.

Ngoran was shot to death at a security checkpoint at about 2:30pm in his Toyota Land Cruiser car.

According to a communiqué from the communication unit of the Ministry of Defence, the deceased was « the main relay hub of certain secessionist terrorist leaders in the Diaspora in the Nkwen Sector ».

The communiqué further reads « an arrest warrant had been issued against the deceased on 24th November, 2020 by the President of the Bamenda military tribunal… sentencing him to 03 years imprisonment and 565,950 CFA Francs in fines ».

The communiqué which does not explain if security men were authorized to shoot and kill Djibril claims that he was « engaged in a brutal car escape maneuver at the precise moment when he was asked to stop his car »

« In his fight, he was stopped by deterrent gunshots which unfortunately hit him fatally », the communiqué reads.

No mention is made of the officer who fired a bullet at the deceased in the press release signed by Head of Communication Division at the Ministry of Defence, Navy Captain, Atonfack Guemo Cyrille Serge.

After his death, the corpse of Ngoran was paraded across streets of the Nkwen neighbourhood by an irate population, chanting « Military must go » before he was lowered to rest on Monday July 5 at the Bamenda II Council cemetery in Ngomgham, North West Region.

His demise brings to three civilians killed by security forces at this same security post since 2020. The last incident was that of a bike rider, known as Yaniko beaten to death, July 5, 2020 where it was alleged that he hesitated bribing gendarmes on duty (1$) 500frs.

In what pundits read as a mockery to the family of Ngoran, Atonfack’s press release which grilled the deceased was a ‘scammer’ states his ministry « regrets the unfortunate incident and extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family ».

The Cameroon military is reputed for hasty justification of killings in crises regions particularly in the North West and South West Regions. Justifications which have always led to local and international pressure for independent investigations to be conducted. The outcomes have for most cases had the government retract from initial claims.

The Ngarbuh massacre of February 14, 2020, in Donga Mantung Division of North West Region, the summary execution of women and babies in the Far North region in 2015 and the Ekona massacre on the outskirts of Buea, headquarters of the South West Region in 2019 leave the government cupboards pungent.

Wifah Jennyhans
https://sillonpanafricain.net/