25/05/2026
Updated Report:
Nine Men Detained And Fined During Community Road Works In Noni
New eyewitness information emerging after our earlier report has clarified developments surrounding the incident that occurred on Saturday, 23 May 2026, in Bamti-Noni Subdivision, Bui Division of Cameroon’s North West Region.
Initial reports circulating online claimed that at least 40 civilians had been abducted by Ambazonia separatist fighters for refusing to participate in a community road maintenance exercise. However, eyewitness accounts gathered after publication indicate that the information was inaccurate.
According to a witness who said he was present at the site, the road maintenance exercise had been organised by the village community, with armed separatist fighters also present during the activity.
The eyewitness explained that the individuals targeted were men who had reportedly been identified by the village as habitual absentees from community labour activities and who allegedly failed to respond to summons from the village traditional council.
Contrary to earlier claims, the witness stated that only nine men were detained during the incident.
“The work was purely for men, and only nine men were taken,” the eyewitness said, adding that each of the men later paid a fine of 5,000 CFA francs imposed by the fighters before regaining their freedom.
The source also expressed frustration over what he described as misleading information circulating online regarding the incident.
“There is anger and condemnation in the village about what is being spread online,” the witness stated, insisting that reports claiming 40 people were abducted and fined 15,000 CFA francs each were false.
The incident highlights the tense and complex realities surrounding community administration and security in parts of the Northwest Region affected by the ongoing Anglophone crisis, where local communities often organise communal labour to maintain roads and other basic infrastructure in the absence of regular state services.
Authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the matter.
