[10] According to the pro-separatist Bareta News, the Tigers emerged in response to the murder of Ekabe Nyongo, a traditional chief in Manyu who had voiced support for the separatist movement.

A naked and armed mob of Tigers subsequently stormed Nyongo's funeral, captured a Cameroonian soldier present and forced him to denounce the government, after which the rebels declared another separatist the new local chief.

On 14 January 2018, the Cameroonian security forces counter-attacked in an attempt to destroy the Tigers, but the operation provoked further local support for the rebels.

[15][16] Cameroon News Agency attributed the massacre to the Tigers, describing it as a revenge attack due to the locals hiring Nigerian mercenaries who had killed one member of the separatist militia.

In addition, they are inspired to some degree by traditional African religions; the group's name is based on the belief that "some of the Tigers are the ghosts of dead ancestors who have risen from the grave to defend their people".