| Part of the Anglophone Crisis | |
| Date | 4 November 2018 |
|---|---|
| Location | Nkwen, near Bamenda, Northwest Region, Cameroon |
| Coordinates | 5°59′48″N 10°09′41″E / 5.9965795°N 10.1612954°E |
| Outcome | Kidnappers release all students without ransom on November 7[1] and the staff members on November 12[2] |
| Deaths | None |
| Suspects | Amba Boys (Alleged by the Cameroonian government, denied by Ambazonian separatist groups)[1] |
Around 3 a.m. on November 4, 2018, armed men kidnapped 79 students, a principal and three staff members from the Presbyterian Secondary School in Nkwen, a town near Bamenda, Cameroon. All 79 students were released without ransom or prior notification on November 7, while the principal and the staff members were held for five more days.[2] The circumstances of the incident remained unclear. While the kidnappers identified as "Amba Boys" (a common noun for Ambazonian separatists), separatist groups claimed the incident was a false flag operation staged by the Cameroonian government.[1]