Bar. Agbor Balla has condemned the killing of a 7-year-old child by a gendarme officer in Buea-Cameroon, demand befitting burial and compensation by the state.
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Today the 14 of October 2021, a 7-year-old child was shot and killed by a gendarme officer in Buea, the South West Region of Cameroon. The circumstances leading to the act is traced to the fact that the mother of the child while carrying her to school in the car was stopped by a gendarme officer wherein he demanded the mother to pay for a bribe of 500FCFA before she could proceed with to school. The woman reportedly refuse to pay the bribe since she was going to school late and drove off. The gendarme officer in response targeted and shot the car wherein the unfortunate incident happened, leading to the death of the child we got her name as Kimora.
Since 8:00 AM, the population have been protesting against the act and the angry population say enough is enough for the security forces to stop harassing the civilian population. the business places have been shut down while the taxis are also on protests in solidarity with the family of the child. no official statement from the authorities at the time of this report, but the Governor of Buea, said to the protesters that the perpetrators linked to the killings will of the child will be punished according to the law.
Reacting to the unfortunate incident, Barrister Agbor Nkongho, President of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA) have condemned the act on his official Facebook page.
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Below is his full statement
The impunity exercise by the Defense and security officers in Buea is unacceptable and should be condemned for what it is. This day the 14th of October 2021, two gendarme officers on patrol at Molyko-Bwitingi stretch of road, directly behind the Molyko-Omnisport Stadium, opened fire at a car carrying a 7 years old school child and unfortunately, the child died.
We have been reliably informed; the mother of the deceased girl was driving past the gendarme on patrol when she was stopped by the two officers. She hesitated and drove past the post informing them that she was running late as she was taking her daughter to school.
One of the gendarme officers opened fire at the shield of her car and the bullet hit the child on the head, shattering her skull and she died instantly.
This action brought an uproar as the angry mob took hold of the gendarme and pounced on him, killing him with stones, while his colleague escaped the scene.
We condemn the impunity with which the military acted and call on the state to investigate the matter and ensure that the baby is given a befitting burial and the family compensated.
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
