Seven suspects arrested for the burglary at the Regional Hospital in Bamenda are now in police custody. The Bamenda Judicial Police tracked them down, and some of those arrested were said to have bought items stolen from the hospital.
On the night of March 1, 2026, into March 2, 2026, armed men broke into the administrative unit of the hospital and stole valuables, including two laptops, two tablets, a flat-screen TV, and an MTN internet modem. The suspects were presented to the public on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at the police premises.
Speaking earlier, Dr. Denis Nsame, the hospital’s director, said the matter was reported immediately to the Judicial Police in Bamenda, and an investigation was launched.
Dr. Nsame explained that: “We arrived that Monday morning and discovered that items were stolen in the multipurpose and administrative unit of the hospital. That is how we alerted the regional delegation of the judicial police.”
He also noted that the equipment stolen from that unit is used for reporting health statistics.
“With the Ministry of Public Health, reporting of health indicators is very important. This unit is the health statistics unit of the hospital, and the gadgets are used to report those statistics,” he explained, thanking the police for helping them recover their equipment.
On his part, Commissioner Tarh Ako Agbor Ambang, Chief of the North West Regional Service of Judicial Police, said the arrest was another result of the Police–Population Partnership.
“I mobilized my team immediately the case was reported. I also thank our informants and the population, because it is truly a partnership. Without the population, we cannot achieve the expected results,” he said.
The North West Judicial Police boss promised that his team will do everything to get one other suspect who is still at large.
Commissioner Tarh also advised the public not to buy items from people who cannot provide receipts.
“In the penal code, there is what we call receiving, this involves buying stolen items. We have about two such cases. This is a warning to the public. People who like buying items without receipts should stop. Only buy from sellers who can issue documents and receipts.”
Among those arrested is Cedric. The 28-year-old electronics vendor in Bamenda is said to have bought the stolen television from the Bamenda Regional Hospital without knowing it was a stolen item.
“I was arrested because of the TV set I bought. The seller told me it was his, and he said he was coming from Yaounde. He also had a friend who confirmed that it belonged to him. I asked for a receipt after I paid him FCFA 30,000 for the item. He gave me a national identity card, saying he would bring the receipt and collect the identity card. He went and never came back,” explained Cedric.
The fate of the suspects now lies with the courts, which will continue the case in the coming days.
First Published in NewsWatch newspaper No 229 of Monday, March 23, 2026.
