Cameroon students kidnapped in Anglophone region

Barely a month after the kidnap and release of about 80 school children and staff from a school in Cameroon’s northwest region, a new incident has been reported today.

Local media portals report that over a dozen students and a principal had on Tuesday, November 20, been kidnapped from Lords Bilingual Secondary school, around the Angelical Church in Kumba, a city in the South-West region of the country.

Reports said the contingent were picked by yet to be identified armed individuals. 10 armed men are said to have invaded the school making off with about 15 students and the principal. The BBC is quoting that 20 students were involved.

The incident has been acknowledged by the local authority head, Senior Division Officer, SDO Ntou’ou Ndong Chamberlin, who is said to have ordered a probe into the kidnap.

The city is reported to have witnessed repeated attacks on school authorities and students recently. Two school school heads were briefly held by captors weeks back, local media portals confirmed.

Separatists fighting for so-called Republic of Ambazonia have tried to disrupt social activities in the two Anglophone regions where they continue to clash with government forces.

Attacks on schools have been one of their tactics with the incidence of abductions being a recent phenomenon. Scores have been killed on the side of government forces and the separatists.