By Beng Humphrey Fang
One life taken in cold blood is as gruesome as millions lost in a pogrom”- Dele Giwa, famous Nigerian journalist said. Dele Giwa who is quoted above was slaughtered by a cabal that thought it was murdering truth so as to perpetuate itself in the political landscape. Before the murder of the said journalist, he had
philosophically written:” Death looks for a happy home where it can turn happiness in to grief and ensure that for days, the household will have nothing to discuss but the blow of death.”
Today, eyes from various angles of the world is redirected towards Ngarbuh for reasons that appear quite pathetic and sorrowful.
The truth of yesterday is a lie today and the lies of yesterday have been finally accepted to be the real truth. The president of the Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya today has issued an order for military officers discovered to have involved in the Ngarbuh massacre on February, 2020 to be arrested.
Earlier when media and human rights organizations blamed the Cameroonian army to have masterminded the gruesome act, they received legal threats from government officials who accused them of spreading fake news with plan to destabilize Cameroon.
The Cameroonian Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul
Atanga Nji had accused Non governmental agencies of having taken bribe from ‘enemies of Cameroon” to destabilize the country. As it has always been the case, the
army was hailed for being professional and republican. Many, hungry for political appointments and attention from President of the nation went as far questioning how possible could an army Republican and civil “Zero massacre by the military in Ngarbuh”. some pro government media platforms asserted.
Faces of Human rights advocates in the likes of Barrister Nkongho Felix
Agbor Balla, Akere Muna and others who condemned the act featured on front pages of some newspapers threatened to be sued for propagating fake news.
They had simply told the world a version of the story which was different from what the government was propagating.
It should be recalled when President Biya ordered for an independent investigation into the incident, the government spokesman, Rene Sadi and Cameroonian Defence minister, Joseph Bety Assoumou claimed monopoly of truth over what happened while the investigation was yet to kick off in the field. They reiterated that information that had emerged pointing fingers at the country’s military to have masterminded the act was fake news when no investigation had been carried out.
The results of the Biya’s commission of enquiry, many say are not strange neither are they shocking as the government had earlier began manifesting signs of suspicion that the military was involved. What does the government considers untruth when an investigation is yet to determine the truth?” Ayah Paul, former Cameroonian Supreme court judge questioned.
Today, the government has emerged with a different version of the story denying its “truth’ in acknowledgement and recognition of military involvement in the Ngarbuh massacre that left about twenty four persons killed among them women and children. Finally the findings of media organs and rights organizations which were regarded as fake and unpatriotic by the government have been vindicated true.
The Cameroonian government few years back announced the arrest military officers who killed women and children in the Northern region of the country. That came after it firmly refused the video that projected the action of the men in uniform was not shot in Cameroon.
Soldiers caught in the video were equally rejected not to be of the Cameroonian army. To the shock of many who had joined their voices to that of the government in denouncing the information attached to the video by media organs, Issa Tchiroma Bakari, then Cameroonian Minister of
Communication came out to accept killing in the video took place in Cameroon.
Will government order for the arrest of the Ministers of Communication and Defense for having spread fake news that the military was involved
in the Ngarbuh massacre?