Close to 60 persons are reported to have been arrested Wednesday May 22, 2019 in the evening at Malingo, Buea in the West region of Cameroon following a raid by armed gendarmes and police officers.

Reports say after their arrest, they were directly taken into custody at the Second District Police Station in Buea.

“We were drinking when they came around 7:00pm. We thought they were out to check ID Cards, but that was not the case…They took everyone they saw within the condoned vicinity. Only bar owners were spared. Those who had tattoos and other body marks were tagged Amba fighters and as such were taken to the Gendarmerie Legion” A victim told Mimi Mefo Info.

“The rest of us with our ID Cards were asked to give money. The minimum they took was FCFA 10,000. Those who did not have cash paid through Mobile Money. Others who did not have money at all were thrown into the cell. We don’t know what has become of them. Most of us are students at the University of Buea” The victim continued.

The phenomenon of security and defence forces moving around and reportedly harassing locals and extorting money from them is said to have become a routine in the restive Anglophone regions.