The house of a popular separatist commander in Mamfe, Peter Agbor was raided on November 30, 2023 about 6:00am by state security forces. Witnesses say the state security forces were on a mission to hunt down persons connected with the November 6, 2023 attack in Egbekaw-Mamfe, that led to the killing of about 30 civilians, and the burning down of houses.
Peter Agbor, is said to be a leader of one of the main separatist factions operating in Mamfe, fighting to create a breakaway state for the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon, formerly referred to as Southern Cameroons. The fighters now call it Ambazonia. The hunt for Agbor and other separatist leaders operating in Mamfe, Headquarters of Manyu Division in Cameroon’s Southwest region is in line with calls by various administrative leaders in the Southwest and beyond, that perpetrators of the Egbekaw massacre, that saw the killing of over 30 persons and burning of several houses be arrested and made to suffer the consequences of their actions.
According to residents, the attack in Egbekaw was meant to foil celebrations marking the 41st anniversary of President Paul Biya as Cameroon’s head of state. The attack overshadowed all events scheduled to take place on Monday, November 6th, in Mamfe and across the national territory.
The cruel acts of violence perpetrated in Egbekaw, Manyu Division, South West Region, where at least 30 people were brutally killed and over 20 houses burnt down received nationwide condemnation.
Several civilians, including men, women, and children, sustained injuries and are being attended to at several health facilities in the area. The dead were also kept in morgues around Mamfe, awaiting an official burial.
The incident witnessed the invasion of Egbekaw village between the early hours of 2:00 AM and 7:00 AM, on Monday, November 6, 2023. Suspected separatist fighters attacked the neighbourhoods of Government Practising Primary School (GPPS) towards Apostolic Church Egbekaw, causing havoc and inflicting severe injuries on residents.
Most residents of the locality woke up the next day, pointing accusing fingers at the leading separatist group led by a certain Peter Agbor.
Witnesses familiar with the area and activities of fighters in the area have continued to point accusing on Peter Agbor, and his over 25-man group of fighters said to be operating under him.
It is said that the suspicion and other intel are said to have highly influenced the state security forces who invaded Agbor’s house, concerning the gruesome crime. Some sources also told The Post that the accused had fled town and his usual hideouts before the state security forces stormed them.
The raid by the officers led to the seizure of some of Agbor’s vital documents, personal properties, and identification documents and photos, some of which belonged to his girlfriend, Melle Ngole Nina Mbinzer, who was also declared wanted.
Agbor’s girlfriend, Melle Ngole Nina Mbinzer, is also considered an accomplice, for failing to report her boyfriend’s activities as a separatist fighter, and terrorist as tagged by the government.
The entire Mamfe community, as well as neighbouring towns, was put on alert by the Divisional Officer, about the suspects.
The Anglophone crisis has seen clashes for the past seven years with hundreds of thousands of Cameroonians displaced. The crisis has also led to the killing of about 6000 people in the two English-speaking regions.