University of Buea Again:

Irate Students Launch Second Strike in Three Months

 

The University of Buea Students’ Union (UBSU), May 15, 2013, launched a dreadful on-campus strike, after their February 2013 strike was suppressed and some students charged to court.

UB Students spoil for action

The reasons haven’t changed much from the last, as they keep clamoring for an opportunity to have more courses on re-sit, an increase in march past remuneration to 3000FCFA amongst others.

This time, the Vice-Chancellor was not on seat, and the student mob stormed the administrative building for the Deputy, Prof. Victor Julius Ngoh. Alerted on their approaching the Central Administrative Unit, Prof. Ngoh was smuggled out of the campus.

Frustrated by this escape, the mob shattered his service car which was at the parking in front of the Central Administrative building. They turned the vehicle up-side-down and attacked to the faculties of Social and Management Sciences (FSMS) and Education (FED) in search of Dr. Kingsley Ngange and Molongo, who were said to have stood as witness against the students in court.

Failing to suppress the revolt in their small numbers, the Campus guards fled for safety and six were caught and brutalized by the student mob. They were later rushed to the hospital for treatment. The mob had their guard uniforms seized; furniture damaged and use to barricade the second gate. After which they set them ablaze.

A group of riot policemen with battens, who had been sent to protect the central administrative building, were marched out of the campus, of which a resistance should have meant war as the mob was already parking stones up for that purpose.

The marching out of the police was celebrated by the mob as a major achievement in the revolt and the mob returned to the already damaged car of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Research, Co-operation and Relations with the Business World and set it ablaze. The flag in front of the Central Administrative building was flown down at half-mast, indicating a State of Emergency.

The next place on target was the students’ restaurant, where the rioters went to refresh themselves at no cost at all.  

Not long after, four trucks filled with armed policemen drove in, firing tear gas cylinders in the air. The observing crowd dispersed in different directions as they were chased by the police. Some fell, and again got up on their heels.

The strike leaders, found escape routes out of the campus before the police could get to them, while others who were unfortunate to fall into police dragnets were detained. Lohshie Eugene and Ashu Dickson, all student journalists on coverage were equally picked up and brutalized, The DETECTIVE has learnt.

Prior to this act, an anonymous communiqué was put up on campus, saying that Prof. Ngoh is a potential threat to the University of Buea’s peace and that they wanted him out of the university. They claimed that he has been behind previous on-campus strike and has cultic dealings.

According to a track circulated by UBSU during the upheaval, a copy of which The DETECTIVE procured, the students are calling on the Vice Chancellor to withdraw court charges on student leaders who were arrested for taking Dr. Nalova Lyonga hostage for five hours during the previous strike. UBSU equally wants the UB administration to allow students conduct elections into the central executive of the union among others.

In the midst of the commotion, no UB official will readily talk to press men while all attempts to talk to student representatives were futile.

By the time of filling this report, a water canon belonging to the Mobile Intervention Unit (GMI) had just arrived Buea alongside other anti-riot equipment.

It should be noted that when the new Divisional Officer for Buea, Mr. Koum Woukam Paul was being installed recently, the SDO for Fako implored him to join forces with  UB administration to check the excesses of UBSU.

With the current strikes, it is hoped that the administration will fall under the pressure to meet these demands, and most especially set a date for the Student Union elections into the executive wing, which is almost being faced out.

By Oben Carl Ayuk Cole and Amindeh Blaise Atabong