A website story published claims that “52 students from Esu village in Fungom Subdivision, Menchum Division, were attacked on their way to sit for the General Certificate of Education (GCE) exams in Wum on June 1, 2025.” 237check.org verified and found that the figure was exaggerated.
Context
The claim exaggerates a localized security scare, turning it into a narrative of a mass attack. Since 2016, the anglophone regions(North West and South West regions) of Cameroon have been experiencing an armed conflict, with education being one of the main targets. The regions witnessed attacks on education, including the burning of schools, kidnappings of teachers, maiming of students and teachers, and displacement of learners leading to the grouping of Examination centers into larger accommodation centers. This exaggerated narrative is dangerous, especially in these regions where misinformation can quickly escalate tensions and fear.
While most media outlets agree that there has been an attack on students in this part of the country by alleged separatists, the reported numbers of people affected differ widely. In a local context strongly marked by psychosis and the constant anxiety of the population, this type of information cannot be taken lightly, given its impact on the ability to dissuade parents from sending their children to sit their exams, which are an important step in ensuring a future for young people.
So, given this concern, we decided to verify the figures presented by “The Rural Post” in its article.
Verification Process
To verify this claim, 237check.org reached out to the Divisional Delegate of Secondary Education for Menchum Division, Mendi Walters Dung, the administrative authority overseeing exam organization in the area. He confirmed via a recorded phone call that there was an incident involving students and armed men on June 1, 2025, but categorically denied that 52 students were involved in the attack. “Some students were disturbed but not 52. They were nine in number and are all writing the exams in Wum”, the delegate told 237Check.
We also contacted Stephen Ojang, a journalist in Wum who went to the Presbyterian High School accommodation center, which hosted the students corroborating the delegates position. “I saw the nine students who were attacked writing the examination at PHS Wum accommodation center. I didn’t film or take a picture because the moment they saw a journalist, they were panicking”.
237 Check contacted Ndoh Martin, the Principal of Government High School Esu on phone. He said “our school registered 72 candidates, all of them did not leave at the same time. I was not there when it happened but 7 students were sent back, but came back to write the exam”. 237check also spoke to the writer of the article, Neba Jerome, who said his report was based on an alert on facebook, which stated that “52 students were attacked and sent back home”.
Additionally, no official reports from the GCE Board, the Ministry of Secondary Education, or credible humanitarian monitoring agencies have confirmed the occurrence of such an attack affecting 52 students.
Conclusion
The claim that 52 students from Esu village were attacked on their way to the GCE exams in Wum on June 1, 2025 is exaggerated. While a security incident did occur in the area, nine and not fifty two students were attacked, they later began the exams with every other student, according to the Divisional Delegate for Secondary Education and local sources.
