Students sitting in for the 2018 session of the GCE examinations in both the Ordinary and Advanced Levels in Muyuka, Fako Division of the South West Regions, have been transferred to Buea after a gun battle erupted between security forces and some unidentified gunmen, suspected to be elements of the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF).
The gun exchanges broke out yesterday, Monday, May 28, 2018, at about 7:45 am, few minutes to the commencement of the first paper of the exams (Economics).
All the students writing this year’s examination in Muyuka were grouped under Centre No 1110 of Government Bilingual High School (GBHS) Muyuka.
Speaking to Journalducameroun.com, one of the examination candidates recounted: “We were already seated at the various examination halls at about 7:45. Military officers were everywhere. To say the least, security was total. So when the Divisional Officer (DO) for Muyuka drove in to the school campus to inspect the commencement of the examination, we started hearing gunshots everywhere. The security forces that were brought in also responded. It took over three hours before the shooting could stop, but nobody was wounded in the gun attack. The first paper, Economics which was supposed to start at 8:00am, only started at about 11:00am. We finished writing at about 5:00pm,” the candidate recounted.
According to our source, after the exams, the DO for Muyuka, Thomas Tambe Tabot, after concertation with officials who were supervising the examinations in Muyuka, decided to transfer the GCE accommodation centre to Buea. The candidate said after the exams, the DO told them that they will move Centre No 11101 to Buea because the students were no longer safe in Muyuka. Some of them will be writing at Bilingual Grammar School Molyko, Government High School Buea amongst other.
On whether the school officials were to transport, accommodate and feed them in Buea during the entire exercise, our source said nothing was said in that regards. “We were advised to explore every means to be in Buea this Monday night so that we can continue writing the exams on Tuesday,” she stated.
It would be recalled that the Principal of the Cameroon Baptist Academy, Yoke-Muyuka, Eric Ngoumba, was also kidnapped by gunmen on Friday, May 25, 2018, barely 48 hours to the commencement of the written part of the exams.
Same day, Georgiana Enanga Sanga, Principal of Government High School (GHS) Bolifamba Mile 16-Buea was also abducted. Meanwhile, touring some GCE centres in Buea on Monday, May 28, South West Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, expressed satisfaction with what he termed “an examination that has begin in calm and serenity.”
