BREAKING NEWS: Nalova Lyonga on The Run – How She Provoked Monday’s Rampage in Buea

Culled from Cameroon Journal


BREAKING NEWS: Nalova Lyonga on The Run – How She Provoked Monday's
Rampage in Buea

UB Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nalova Lyonga
UB Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nalova Lyonga
By Macdonald Ayang and Mua Patrick, Nov. 29, 2016

Cameroon Journal, Buea – The Vice Chancellor of the University of
Buea, Nalova Lyonga should be held accountable should any UB student
or Buea resident end up dead after yesterday's protest in Buea.
Nalova, solely, in her overzealous move to frustrate the ongoing
strike by teachers and Lawyers by attempting to force students back to
the classroom, provoked the skirmish.

In a calculated move described by many as desperate to force students
of the university back to school after staying away for over one week
owing to the on-going teachers' strike, Nalova had issued a communique
to the effect that beginning Monday November 28, continuous

A UB student as brutalized by the police in Buea.
A UB student as brutalized by the police in Buea.
assessment tests commonly called CAs would commence in various
departments and schools of the university.

The CAs, The Cameroon Journal gathered, can sometimes measure up to
30% or even 50% of the students' semester grades, depending on the
course. Nalova's decision to get students come in



for the CA wasn't taken kindly especially when lecturers of the
university together with other Anglophone teachers of the two
English-speaking regions of the nation are currently on a sit-in
strike. The students themselves and parents didn't think it was safe
to get back to campus under the circumstances.torture2

In reaction to Nalova's, Prof. Asongwe Linus of UB, sent out a
rebuttal to the VC, expressing disappointment over her attempts to
intimidate students, saying such a decision coming from Nalova wasn't
strange to any of them who have been working with her, calling it a
temptation, he asked the students to resist it.

"Why only in UB? Today she has come up with a timetable for CAs
knowing the situation at hand in UB. I am calling on all students to
fight back if she continues with this her CA on Monday," a portion of
his statement read.

The President of SYNES-UB, Prof. James Arrey Abangma, who was just
still returning from Bamenda where they (striking teachers and
lawyers) met with PM Yang, doubled down on Prof. Asongwe's, insisting
Nalova's desperate ploy – "it can't work."

"I am yet to understand why the VC is much in a haste to see schools
reopen. We don't think of acquiring certificates when we don't know
what to do with them." He contended.torture3

This was the build-up to Monday's skirmish that saw so many students
brutalized, tortured and arrested, some carried to Limbe to a SONARA
torture camp.

A lecturer in UB who was around campus early Monday morning when
fiercely looking armed gov't security forces invaded the university
campus told The Cameroon Journal that "they just walked to students
hostels and began forced breaking into them, dragging them out and
beating them for no reason."



It was the actions of the forces in campus he said, that motivated
thousands of already aggrieved students to storm the campus of the
university and began airing certain grievances against management.
Amongst them, The Cameroon Journal gathered, was the nonpayment of the
2016 presidential grant of FCFA 50,000 per deserving student as well
as the introduction of FCFA 10,000 penalty for late registration by
students.

The disgruntled students, we learnt, also demanded government to live
up to its promise of providing the 500.000 laptops to university
students as promised by President Biya. To crown it all, the striking
students called for the sacking of the Vice Chancellor, Nalova Lyonga
who is already long due retirement.

As they converged in front of the University's administrative block,
the atmosphere got tense

As seen in Molyko, Buea yesterday
As seen in Molyko, Buea yesterday
when they began chanting revolutionary songs of protest. There was
already heavy deployment of troops in and around the Molyko Campus, a
situation that forced the students on campus for several hours to
remain under siege, we learned.

But that heavy presence of armed police appeared not to have
dispirited the students from going on the rampage. They took to the
streets, brandishing placards with messages expressing their
frustrations and demanding that university authorities provide
solutions to their grievances.

As the fierce-looking police elements tried to push back on them, the
students who had by now poured out in their numbers, replied by
throwing stones and other sharp objects to fend off the police.

However, their stones and sharp objects were no comparism to the fire
power and brutality of the police who got dozens severely tortured and
as many as 200 reported arrested. Over 20

Students rooms forced broken into by armed police.
Students rooms forced broken into by armed police.
brokenintoothers who sustained severe injuries from the brutality of
security elements where rushed to nearby health facilities for
emergency medical attention.

As the protest ensued, several of the students could be heard shouting
"Nalova must go", "Nalova must go, No to extortion of money from
students, we want our FCFA 50.000" read another message on placards
brandished by the striking students.

The police elements who used water cannons to disperse the students
later went back to students' residential areas, pulling them out,
raped some, tortured others, before arresting them.

The Cameroon Journal actually is in possession of names of some
parents whose children were raped and molested by the armed forces.
Pictures of brutalized students who sustained injuries on their heads,
faces and naked bodies soon went viral on social media. Other photos
showing students being beaten and dragged in the gutters by heartless
soldiers also went awash on social media.

It emerged later in the day in a statement from the university of
Buea, that the Ministry of Higher Education was yet to disburse the
said 2016 presidential grants to students. But the damage was already
done.

As we went to press, the VC, Nalova Lyonga's whereabout was unknown.
Her residence was under tense security as a group of activists are
seeking for her head or kidnapping. Elsewhere in



the Southwest, in GBHS Mutengenie there was stampede as unidentified
activists descended on the school attacking teachers, in Tiko,
unconfirmed reports say a group of teachers were kidnapped from GHS
Tiko, while in GSS Motombolobo, teachers were badly beaten and
brutalized for defying current sit-in teachers strike action. Parents
were seen rushing to the schools to withdraw their children.

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