Bandjoun: Benskineurs threaten to burn the gendarmerie

A crowd gathered in front of the premises of the gendarmerie brigade of Bandjoun on Tuesday morning, November 10, 2015. The group of commercial motorbike riders gathered after the rumour of the "release of the one who murdered our colleagues," they shouted.

It all started with an information circulating in the town of Bandjoun, announcing that the police had arrested an individual suspected to be a motorcycle thief. Over the previous two weeks, some riders were ambushed and two of them were killed. The security forces launched an investigation.

Informed that suspects had been arrested by the police, the bike riders of the city Bandjoun, flocked to the place. "I told them that we did not have a suspect under arrest here, they did not believe me. They threatened with gasoline to burn the place if we dont let out whom they were looking for," said the deputy commander of the brigade.

Calling for help from his superiors, the deputy who was stationed with two elements of the brigade which has less than half a dozen gendarmes, was already preparing to fire on the crowd to prevent them from violating the highly strategic public security service before some help arrived.

To discourage the crowd, the public prosecutor near the courts of Kung-chi, opened the cells for the riders to be convinced that there was no suspect in the premises.

Subsequently, they booked a dozen motorcycle taxi drivers who threatened to burn the public office. The drastic means employed caused the crowd to gradually vacate the premises.

According to police sources, the suspect was indeed arrested the previous day with a motorcycle belonging to one of the murdered taxi drivers. But the latter admitted buying the bike presenting the receipt with the name of the seller. He was transferred to Bafoussam, where he was interrogated. Police are still working to find out if he's the murderer.