Police Detain High School Principal For Child Trafficking

GBHS Nkambe

The principal of Government Bilingual High School Nkambe in the Donga Mantung Division of the North West Region of Cameroon is currently detained at the Buea judicial police station for alleged child trafficking.

Mrs Lucy Ngwe was picked up by the police at the Mount Mary health Centre in Buea, South West Region of Cameroon on Friday May 10, 2013.

According to The Post Newspaper No. 01430 of Monday May 13, 2013, the school principal was arrested following the persistent cry of a week-old baby she was carrying that caused a stir in the hospital.

Mrs. Ngwe reportedly went to the hospital like every other nursing mother. While in the there, her supposed baby cried ceaselessly, but to the surprise of other nursing mothers and hospital nurses, Mrs. Ngwe could not breastfeed ‘her baby’.

Questioned on why she was not breastfeeding her baby, she reportedly answered that her breast was not flowing. This raised suspicion causing officials of the health facility to call the police who afterward arrested Mrs. Ngwe.

Mrs. Ngwe, NewsWatch is aware had abandoned her duty post without permission and had gone for a fake maternity leave. Reports say while in school, Mrs Ngwe wore dresses indicative of a pregnant woman but she left Nkambe town in hiding. Neither her school nor the indigens of Nkambe knew the where-about of the principal.

According to The Post Newspaper, the principal allegedly returned from Nigeria with a baby she claimed she had given birth to. She travelled back to Cameroon by sea through the vessel Achouka, and arrived at the Tiko Wharf when her supposed child took ill. Then she decided to take the baby to Mount Mary Health Centre for medical attention.

The paper further reports that Mrs Ngwe confessed she had been receiving concoctions from a certain traditional healer in Nigeria for an apparent pregnancy. Before her mystical pregnancy, she had never been known to have any previous record of ever being pregnant or delivering a baby. She disclosed that she had actually been nursing “a pregnancy” and went to Nigeria as had been instructed by her traditional doctor there. After a process that seemed like she had put to bed; a baby was later presented to her as hers.

It is alleged that a baby might have been stolen and given her considering she had been keeping a bogus pregnancy.

While the judicial police pursue investigations in the matter, the baby is currently being taken care of by the management of Mount Mary Health Centre.

Back in Nkambe

Reports from Nkambe say the educational authorities have a negative impression about the principal. She is considered amongst other things to be very arrogant and annoys her hierarchy and Nkambe elite because it is alleged she has links in high quarters.

Students of Government Bilingual High School Nkambe where Mrs. Ngwe is principal on Monday May 6, 2013 went on a strike claiming that the principal had collected money from them for computer studies and laboratory practicals, yet they had never taken computer lessons nor enter any science laboratory.

The principal allegedly collected CFA 3500 F from each student of the school as computer fees and CFA 5000 F from second cycle science students as laboratory fees.

While their mates were preparing for the General Certificate of Education Examinations, the students went on the street to protest. At the time of the strike action, the where-about of the principal remained unknown.

According to The Eye Newspaper, the students reportedly stormed the offices of the Divisional Delegate for Secondary Education and the Senior Divisional Officer to express their worries. They demanded for the reimbursement of the computer and laboratory test fee they paid but did not have lessons in computer sciences nor carry any laboratory experiment.

Besides, the irate students also told the SDO that some of them contributed a widow’s mite for a condolence visit to one of their mates who kicked the pocket, yet the administration has been adamant to carryout the visit.

Even though the Senior Divisional Officer for Donga Mantung Division, Mr. Ngone Ndodemesape Bernard tried to clam down flaring tempers, the students, we learnt have vowed that if the administration doesn’t take stringent measures, there is going to be a rundown.

By Ndi Eugene Ndi