At 7 doors, a drug hub in old town Bamenda a group of motorcycle-riding policemen on patrol killed one of their own.
By Ali Dan Ismael – Editor-in-Chief
Bamenda woke up on Monday, August 11, 2025, to the sound of gunfire in Old Town. By evening, the story was everywhere — a policeman had shot another policeman.
The victim had just arrived from Garoua. That morning, he allegedly went to buy weed or drugs at a place called 7 Doors. He was in plain clothes, carrying a gun.
A group of motorcycle-riding policemen saw him. They thought he was “Uncle Ambe,” a wanted man. They opened fire. Minutes later, they realised their mistake — they had killed one of their own.
If this man had been an ordinary civilian, the official version would already be out:
“Unidentified gunmen opened fire and escaped.”
But because the dead man wore the same badge as the shooters, the truth spilled out. And with it, a window into how the regime’s “unidentified gunmen” narrative really works.
The Regime’s Favourite Cover Story
For years, whenever civilians have been shot in Ambazonia, the official line has been the same: it wasn’t the army, it wasn’t the police — it was “unidentified gunmen.”
But who are these mysterious gunmen? The truth is hiding in plain sight. They are vigilantes armed by the state, operating under the Ministry of Territorial Administration, headed by Paul Atanga Nji.
These men do not wear uniforms. They blend into the crowd. They carry state-issued guns. They work alongside the military. And when they kill, the regime points the finger at Ambazonian fighters — or leaves the crime unsolved.
When the Truth Slips Out
Incidents like the Old Town shooting are rare, not because they don’t happen, but because the truth is almost never admitted.
Earlier this year, in what became known as the Video Case, civilians filmed state-backed vigilantes in plain clothes carrying out a killing. In the footage, their weapons and coordination were clear. Yet the official statement still called them “unidentified gunmen.”
The Old Town case is different. This time, the victim was part of the security forces. The mistake could not be buried.
Why This Matters
This is not about one shooting in Bamenda. It is about a system. A system where thousands of state-armed vigilantes operate in civilian clothes, kill at will, and hide behind a label meant to mislead.
The Old Town incident tears away the mask. It shows that “unidentified gunmen” are not strangers. They are part of the regime’s war machine.
And when the wrong person is killed — as in Old Town — the truth briefly comes into view before the next lie is told.
The Bigger Picture
From Mamfe to Buea to Bamenda, this tactic repeats itself:
Arm loyalists in civilian dress.
Let them operate without accountability.
Blame the killings on Ambazonian fighters.
It’s a dirty war strategy seen before in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and elsewhere — and it leaves a trail of grief, fear, and mistrust.
The Old Town shooting is more than a tragic mistake. It is proof. Proof that the regime’s “unidentified gunmen” narrative is a shield for its own violence.
A Presidential Warning
President Dr. Samuel Ikome Sako responded from exile with a clear message:
“For years, we have said that Paul Biya’s regime is running a shadow war with killers in civilian clothes. The Old Town shooting confirms what we have known all along — that the so-called ‘unidentified gunmen’ are state agents hiding behind lies. Our people must never be deceived again. Every community must remain vigilant, and the world must stop giving Yaoundé a free pass to kill with impunity.”
For once, the mask has slipped. Whether the world will keep its eyes open this time remains to be seen.
Ali Dan Ismael
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