In a strange turn of events, commercial bike riders and residents of the town of Douala are paying the price after a rampage recorded in the town On December 13, 2022. Some say movement has greatly been limited and activities curtailed sue to the restriction on circulation.
The town went wild with panic after news of the presence of Les Microbes β a gang known for sporadic acts of violence β went viral.
Many communities were thrown into panic and residents fled for their lives. For over an hour, chaos ensued in some parts of the town and social media went wild with videos and images said to be from the attack.
A day after the incident Littoral governor, Samuel Ivaha Diboua placed those he described as βtroublemakersβ at the origin of the rampage, to the surprise of many. The administrator in a press conference said a group of young men had tried to vandalize the Laquintinie Hospital after the demise of one of theirs but were repelled by the forces of law and order.
The pursuing panic, he explained, was misattributed, owing to fake news by social media outlets. Many had said Les Microbes invaded the town, robbing shops and hacking those that resisted with machetes. But the administrator had a different story.
ββ¦ A small group of motorcycle riders passed on high speed at certain roundabouts, stirring up the crowds,β the administrator narrated, stating that they caused panic by announcing the arrival of the Les Microbes gang. Contrary to reports, he said, no member of the Les Microbes was found after the forces of law and order got down to the scene.
Pursuant to the panic caused, Governor Samuel Ivaha listed a series of measures by government to restore order, including the prohibition of circulation of motorbikes in Douala from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. He also noted that drinking spots and game houses in some quarters are to remain closed and the carrying of machetes, knives and other sharp objects, forbidden.
The administrator did not fail to take a hit at social media platforms that reported the incident. In addition to these measures, he added that the state was going to ensure βthe arrest of systematic peddlers of false news and their accomplicesβ¦β
The recent measures taken by the administrator, some say, are akin to some implemented by government in the Anglophone regions of the country, especially at the start of the five-year-old armed conflict. Some state officials had rejected the existence of the armed conflict, only to later accept and align to measures to end the problem.
Poise News Desk
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