By Boris Esono Nwenfor
BUEA, PAV – A delegation of officials from the Social Democratic Front (SDF), led by its National Chairman, Hon. Joshua Osih, visited Likomba in the Tiko Municipality on Sunday, December 14, following the tragic fuel truck accident and subsequent fire explosion that rocked the community on December 12. The incident claimed several lives, left many others injured, and caused extensive damage to homes, businesses, and other property.
The SDF delegation toured the scene of the explosion, met with grieving families, visited injured victims receiving treatment in the hospital, and interacted with residents whose livelihoods were wiped out by the inferno. The party expressed its deepest condolences to families who lost loved ones, wished the injured a speedy recovery, and reassured the population of its solidarity at what it described as a moment of profound pain for Likomba and the wider Tiko area.
The SDF National Chairman Joshua Osih described the situation as heartbreaking and called for empathy, justice, and urgent action to support those affected. “It’s a complicated situation, so you need to be able to re-comfort people, and also, listen to them,” Osih said. “Very often, nobody listens to victims. You need to listen to them, and you need to stand strong with them and make sure that they are defended.”
Osih emphasised that beyond the immediate shock and grief, victims would face long and complex legal and administrative processes. He said the SDF was committed to guiding and supporting them through these procedures to ensure that the wrongs suffered are addressed. “They are going to go through lots of legal proceedings where they need our guidance and our help, so that we make sure that the prejudice they have gone through is corrected,” he stated.
Visibly moved by the scale of destruction, the SDF leader said the tragedy should prompt urgent national action. “I am extremely saddened by what I see. As a nation, we need to step up and move rapidly to first of all take care of the families of all the deceased, those still in hospital, and especially those who have lost tremendous material goods,” Osih said. He cited one of the sites visited where “basically everything is gone, including the house.”
Explaining his presence at the scene, Osih noted that it was important for him to see the situation firsthand. “That’s why I needed to come here myself, to see what is going on,” he said. “I am a Member of Parliament, and as such, I stand with them to make sure that justice is done, and that justice should not be delayed.”
According to Osih, the SDF has a direct link to at least one of the main victims; a connection he said would help ensure that no aspect of the process is unnecessarily delayed. He stressed that affected families deserve to return to a sense of normalcy as quickly as possible, even as investigations and accountability measures continue.
Victims painted a grim picture of loss and uncertainty. Josephine, whose bar was destroyed in the fire, said she lost everything. “Everything in my bar has burnt down. A lot of people have lost their businesses,” she said. Appealing to authorities, she added, “We are pleading with the Cameroon government to help replace our loss. I am a Cameroonian, I am a citizen, and I am pleading with the government to see how they can help us rebuild, because we have no life again.”
She expressed gratitude for the SDF Chairman’s visit, saying his presence gave her a sense of hope that their suffering was being acknowledged. “At least when our chairman comes, it shows that he understands us and that something can be done,” she said.
Another victim, Stanley, a businessman based in Berlin, Germany, said he had returned to Cameroon for vacation and business when disaster struck. He estimated his losses at nearly 20 million francs CFA after his container and store were destroyed.
“Everything from my shop, cosmetics, shoes, burned to ashes,” he said, adding that he also lost about 1.8 million francs CFA in cash. Stanley recounted the horror of the moment, saying someone he was sitting with at the time died in the fire as he narrowly escaped with his life.
The SDF delegation assured the victims of continued support and advocacy, pledging to follow up on their situation and ensure that their plight receives the attention it deserves.
