Douala: increased attacks onboard motorcycles worry population

By Vera Fon

Inhabitants of Douala, economic capital of Cameroon say they are more and more worried when using commercial motorcycles because of the rise in the number of people attacked by riders in the city. According to them getting onboard and arriving one’s final destination is similar to playing the Russian roulette.

Taben Francisca is a 30-year-old woman who has been hospitalized following an attack on a bike and she says it has been hard for her to recover after the unfortunate incident:

“I stopped a bike at about 8Am in the morning to go to my work place. On our way, the bike rider took another direction. I insisted on my location and asked him where he was taking me to but he did not respond and kept increasing his speed. Out of fear, I shouted and jumped off the bike. That is where I got all these injuries,” she explained.

According to her, she was fortunate that there were witnesses who rushed her to a hospital. “When I gained consciousness, I was told the bike rider is dead. They said he was on high speed running away from the population that saw what happened when he had an accident and died on the spot,” she continued. “I have just decided I will never take a bike again except its someone I know very well.”

Another victim stated that she lost property in a similar incident: “I have lost more than 5 phones and one time about 200,000 FCFA to bike riders. Even when I am very conscious of the type of bikes to take, I keep falling into the wrong hands. My husband even refused me getting another phone saying I am not meant to have a phone.”

These random attacks have become recurrent in Douala and authorities seem unable to find an efficient means of fighting these criminal activities.