Robbers Open Fire on Police

Residents of Bilongué stayed indoors throughout Saturday and Sunday. Many feared going back home after Saturday afternoon when gunshots were heard in the neighbourhood. Augustin, an inhabitant said he hid under the bed when a bullet skewed the roof of his two room suite in the gray mansion not far from the Bilongué-Soboum Bridge.

News of the attack soon circulated like a wild fire. With the aid of cell phones, family members who were out of the neighbourhood were warned not to come back. Two heavily-armed men who attacked and snatched the handbags of two ladies, Yemele Ndogmo and Marie Tegofack, began discharging a locally-made gun at police officers who soon rushed to the area in response to the incident. Jacques Basongo said given the historic fatal attacks of 2011 and a host of other fearful incidents, Bilongué is negatively popular for crime and sanitation and he would not venture going back home that night but preferred staying in one of the hotels in Akwa.

The robbers; Isidore Mbakop (35) and Dimitri Toudchet Mbiamou (23) attacked the ladies that evening, confiscating their properties. Worried by persistent attacks in the neighbourhood and strengthened by their resulting fearlessness, the population courageously closed up on the robbers shortly after the ladies cried out for help. Sensing danger, the two robbers took refuge in the ceiling of a neighbour.

A joint team of the Rapid Intervention Unit and the Anti-gang unit of the Judicial Police, under the command of Assistants Superintendent Toupkitanga Sabague and Jean Bosco Zeti, rushed to the area. Upon seeing the policemen, the armed robbers opened fire from their hideout. The police responded with a similar trigger to safeguard the peace and security of the population.

In what residents describe as a western-style movie, one of the bandits, Isidore Mbakop, received bullet wounds while Dimitri Mbiamou surrendered to the police. The former died on the way to the hospital. On them were found with a gun, five bullets, two mobile phones, necklaces and banknotes that were not readily evaluated.