Ambazonia war: Military kills one more health worker in Kumbo
The shocking news of Ngvume Eric’s murder is still to sink in for those who knew him.
According to information obtained by CNA, Ngvume was picked up by government forces nearly a month ago, and his whereabouts were not known until the macabre discovery of his decomposing body found at Melim on the outskirts of Kumbo.
“He was working for the HIV project under the CBC Health Services with his working station at the Shisong Hospital treatment center” a spokesman for Shisong Hospital clarified. Eric worked as a data entry clerk, collecting statistics on HIV in the Kumbo area.
Someone with knowledge of his arrest reported seeing him a few hours before his arrest by government forces. He was returning from Shisong, where he works, and when he reached Squares, he was approached by elements of BIM 51 who were celebrating a colleague’s birthday in a bar. Shortly after he entered the bar, the forces began firing shots into the air continuously.
A witness stated that the forces handcuffed Eric and forced him into an armored car, which then drove in the direction of Njavnuy. Several attempts by the family to follow up with the authorities failed, as the forces claimed not to have seen him.
It remains unclear whether he was killed on the same day or shot at the military base before his body was dumped at Melim.
Eric’s body and that of the second man were found by a boy who had gone to check his traps in the bushes before raising an alarm after getting a foul smell and following the smell into the bush, where he found human bones that were later confirmed to be Eric’s.
A son of Oku, Eric, was also a strong member of PC Kumbo, where he was active in the CMF group of the church. He leaves behind a wife and three kids, two of whom are twins.
CNA is still to get a response from the military in Kumbo, but at press time, it is unclear why the military shot him.
