Masked thieves ransack Buea neighbourhood

Three brigands within the age range of 25 years practically held an entire neighbourhood to ransom, in just one day. By the time the men of the underworld were done, several residents of the Bakweri-Town, Buea, had one or the other gory tale to tell.

At least, three homes were broken into and FCFA 500,000 snatched from a shop-owner. Plus, a Reporter, who, believing the robbers to have completed their empire and retreated for good, turned up to ask questions, was also robbed of her money and working gadgets. The time was 10.00pm. The date, Saturday, October 4, 2014.

Before this time, the men of the underworld had carried out a broad daylight robbery of the same neighbourhood, undetected. According to witnesses, this could have been perpetrated at about 4.00pm.

The three homes that were robbed belonged to a puff-puff seller, a businessman and a carpenter. All of these home owners were unaware of the thievery because it was, from all indications professionally executed.

The puff- puff vendor, Dora, aka ‘Mami Puff- Puff’, told this Reporter that she was busy preparing her flour in the kitchen for the night shift and only realised later at about 5:00pm that her television set, radio, speakers, pressing iron, phone, shoes, hand bags and about FCFA 36,000 were nowhere to be found.

“I don’t even know the exact time when it actually happened but I think the thieves examined my movements. This is not the first time this is happening to me. The other time, I was aggressed by thieves at my small puff-puff shed. This quarter really needs security.

Bakweri-Town boys are very idle, useless and all they do is to wait for others to work, so that they can reap from where they did not sow…’ Dora complained.

Meanwhile, the businessman who deals in electronic gadgets like telephones in the same area was stunned that he was actually a victim of the robbery incident. In his own case he wasn’t at home that afternoon. He only returned later at about 6:30pm to discover that his glass and metal door had been tampered with, broken. He also complained of missing items including; a laptop, a computer, television set, shoes and a glass table.

The armed robbers, who were seemingly not satisfied, waited for the sun to finally set such that they could try out by night. This time around they turned up, armed to the teeth with guns, knives and razors.

At about 09:45pm, a retailer popularly known by the nickname ‘Fally’, who runs a big provision store just at the main entrance to the ‘Executive Hotel’ in the vicinity, was going back home armed with the day’s sales proceeds. He was intercepted by masked burglars. He tried escaping but his effort was thwarted by a gun shot directed skywards.

Fally, who is in his 40s, screamed like a frightened animal, begging to be spared as he was intimidated by the highwaymen. He later took to his heels, but only after they had “rescued” the FCFA 500.000 he had on him.

“They had been planning me, I guess, because that time is pretty early for such operations. They even thought I will spend the night at my place, because when I got home the next morning I met my front door wide open. I don’t know what I have done to Bakweri-Town boys”, Fally bemoaned.

Meantime, the Quarter Head, Samuel Nganda Tonga, has advised all persons within his area of jurisdiction to retire home early enough, so as to avoid being victimized. He thanked God that not a single victim was either wounded or harmed in any way.

“For now, we have no single trace of them, but we are already on the matter and a peacekeeping force will be reinstated in the area”, Tonga promised.