About a year ago on May 11 2022, the Governor of the North West region, Adolphe Lele L’Afrique handed over a total of 80 new motorcycles to Senior Divisional Officers of the region to distribute to vigilante groups in their divisions.
This was during a security meeting where the Governor presented the bikes and said they were instruments to help fight insecurity in the communities.
One year after, many are of the opinion that these motorbikes did not even reach the vigilante groups who have risked their lives collaborating with forces of law and order for peace to return in the socio-politically challenged region. Others have affirmed that these bikes must have ended up in the hands of administrative officials who either sold them or repurposed them.
A member of one of such groups working with government soldiers in Bui division told CNA that they did not receive anything from the SDO.
“To be sincere, I am surprised to hear about that we were given motorbikes. We use our personal bikes to investigate and deliver information. At times they give us money for fuel or we go together,” he said.
The informant who has been into the service for close to two years say he does it to feed his family and also for peace to reign in the North West region.
Since the socio-political crisis started, the government of Cameroon has made it clear they need the support from vigilante groups to locate and capture separatist fighters in the local communities.
Source: Cameroon News Agency