The recent change in strategy by Islamic State of West Africa (defunct Boko Haram), militants by resorting to suicide bomb attacks in the Far North Region, has equally led to a change of security tactics by gendarmes.

As part of their Third Generation Road Safety Campaign, gendarmes were out on the Yaoundé- Boumnyebel highway on Saturday, August 8, 2015.

They particularly stepped up searches of passengers and vehicle booths and luggage on the highway, using metal detectors to check for any arms, ammunitions and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Passengers who spoke to Cameroon Tribune generally appreciated the measure that entailed asking all passengers to alight before being searched while adding that the security of the country was paramount.

Speaking at the Mahollé Checkpoint about 8 km from Boumnyebel (from the Douala end) in the Nyong and Kelle Division of the Centre Region, Major General Simon Pierre Dagafounangsou, the Commander of the First Gendarmerie Region, said though there has not been any suicide bomb attack in the southern part of the country, his men and women had to take pre-emptive measures.

Gen. Dagafounangsou reassured that gendarmes will continue to punish motorists violating the Highway Code; including instances such as over-speeding and dangerous overtaking. However, there were recalcitrant motorists like a Member of Parliament from Mungo Division in the Littoral Region who refused to pay the 25,000 FCfa fine for over-speeding. The leader of the road safety team at the Pougoué Checkpoint, Lt. Col. Onana Bene, only took down the MP’s National Identity Card details, promising to make a report to the high command.

Apart from the checkpoints at Mahollé and Pougoué led by Captain Babila Cyrille, which is 10 km from Boumnyebel from the Yaoundé’s end of the highway, gendarmes on patrol motorbikes were also deployed at strategic points. The aim was to chase motorists who continued to violate the Highway Code after crossing the checkpoints close to where speed-detecting radars were positioned.