Businessmen in Buea are fuming after the Mayor accompanied by some council police and armed security men, Tuesday broke the locks of shops in the Municipality, following the PM’s visit to the Region.

According to sources, moving from the Bongo Square to Mile 17 Wednesday morning, traders were in shock over the Mayor’s move.

“I am very surprised at this scenario. I have a good relationship with the Mayor. We lived in the same compound. I thought it was an advantage having a brother. But see my door lock is shattered» Disclosed a retired servant while reportedly picking up debris left by the breaking of his shop.

« We are here sited with our business, struggling to survive in a difficult atmosphere imposed by gun men and the Mayor, voted by us the people is instead making things worse for us. How do we cope in this situation? » fumed a businessman in Great Soppo.

On Tuesday May 14, 2019, Mayor Ekema Patrick Esunge used rudimentary tools to break open shops in some neighbourhoods in Buea.

The anger of the local administrator allegedly sprang from the fact that people observed a lockdown for fear of the unknown, as the Prime Minister made his way to the South West Region of Cameroon.

The prevailing conflict has been a huge blow to businessmen in Buea for close to three years now. While shops are being closed on ghost town days for fear of reprisals by Ambazonian fighters, the Mayor, Patrick Ekema Esunge has reportedly on several occasions sealed these shops in a bid to counter what he considers as the respect of these recurrent ghost towns.