The halls of Bertoua Bilingual High School were clouded with sorrow today as news emerged of a student, stabbed in a fatal altercation with his classmate.
The victim, identified as Ekosso, class leader of Form 4 A, met a tragic end after being stabbed by a fellow student within the school premises. The assailant fled the scene shortly after the attack, leaving behind a wave of confusion and despair. This heartbreaking occurrence inevitably evokes memories of a similar tragedy that befell the nation on March 29, 2019, at the Deido Bilingual High School.
The two incidents highlight the fragility of life and the urgent need for measures to ensure the safety and well-being of students within educational institutions. The incident unfolded on Thursday, March 28. According to reports from Actualités de l’Est, Ekosso was immediately rushed to a nearby medical facility for urgent treatment following the stabbing.
Despite the efforts of medical personnel, the young student succumbed to his injuries at about 2 p.m., plunging the school into mourning and disbelief.
The bilingual high school of Bertoua in the east of Cameroon experienced horror this Thursday, March 28, 2024. The young Ekosso, a student in Form 4, A class (head of class) died after the stabbing of his friend. “Indeed and according to testimonies collected from other Form 4 A students, the attacker would be excluded for absenteeism. The class leader is the one who keeps the call sheets and who sometimes makes the call, especially during off-peak hours; the executioner would therefore have considered that his victim was responsible for his fate before deciding to fight him. Hence the stabbing attack which led to the death of the class leader in question on March 28, 2024, at around 2 p.m…”, reports the local news page Actualité de l’Est. According to our information, the scene took place yesterday Thursday, March 28, 2024, in the courtyard of the school. The murderer, after his crime, took off, while the victim, taken to hospital, succumbed to his injuries around 2 p.m. A scene that reflects the level of barbarity and insecurity experienced in certain educational establishments in Cameroon and which calls for the intervention of the authorities.
However, it is not only within educational establishments that the security situation is alarming. Even in cities, households, and at work, the security situation has worsened. Just last Wednesday, a motorcycle taxi driver stabbed his client to death in Kribi. According to witnesses, ‘Nzié Jean Claude Ruphin died after receiving three stab wounds on Wednesday evening around 7:30 p.m. The fatal injuries were inflicted on him by the driver of the motorcycle who was transporting him on his way back from work. We learn that Jean Claude stopped a motorbike in the city center, for the family home in the Dombè district, Koumba entrance. He then told the motorbike taximan that he had 200f in 500f. A few meters from his home, the driver of the motorcycle said he could no longer continue, believing that he had crossed the destination. Despite the fatigue, Jean Claude handed him 500f to the driver of the motorcycle to say I don’t have the small change, which provoked a lively discussion between the two. A young lady (the neighbor) who was returning from the city having learned of the problem, gave 200f to the driver of the motorcycle to silence the quarrel. Despite this action, the two continued to quarrel, up to the point where a fight broke out.
According to testimonies, the driver of the motorcycle removed the knife, threw himself at Jean Claude, and administered three stab wounds to him in front of a helpless crowd from which he ended up fleeing.
