The
Archbishop of Bamenda His Grace Cornelius Fontem Esua has arrived Bamenda after
spending a night in an unknown destination after he left St Therese Parish Esu
in Menchum Division where he had spent the weekend for a pastoral visit.
The
Bishop reports say preferred to use the road from Esu via Boyo Division to
Bamenda on Tuesday morning but was only last seen after he had passed the
Divisional Headquarters of Boyo! Fundong. While noting that the distance
between Fundong and Bamenda is about two hours’ drive, the prelate was only
able to arrive Bamenda shortly before the expiration of the morning hours of June 25.
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| Bamenda Archbishop prays with Christians and Religious after gaining freedom |
The Bishop
arrived Bamenda together with his driver and Rev Fr Gopte Gopte Kisitor to a waiting
group of religious, heads of archdiocesan services and staff of the
Archbishop's house who visibly expressed satisfaction with the Archbishop’s
release.
"When I
got to Sho (boarder community between Belo and Njinikom) I didn't know that
people could not pass so the raid was blocked. I stood there for sometime a
later some boys came in and said no it has been blocked! No car passes you have
to go back. So the boys gave me their number of a certain General. They called
him and he said you cannot pass the road has been blocked. I told him I have
been out for five days and I must go back.... He said no you cannot go and then
put off his phone. I came down removed the barrier and I passed. The Archbishop
narrated. His issues will however begin in Njinikejem when he tried removing
the fifth road block. "Then I came to the fifth one. I didn't remove sort
off but you push the stones away and push the sticks away. As we were doing the
other one, it was a big hip of stones, the boys came on three motorcycles about
five or six of them very aggressively shouting who do you think you are? Why
should you open this? Are you not afraid? They sort of mishandled my driver. I
said stop! You don't mishandle the driver you touch me because that is my
driver. No no you people must go! I said I must go to Bamenda and they said you
cannot go and I said fine. We are taking you to our camp I and I said fine take
me to your camp." The Archbishop whose car was already taken away was then
made to mount a bike with which he was transported to the camp. While in the
camp he tried talking the leaders to allow him go to Bamenda even for medical
reasons but they will keep him till morning.
According to
the Archbishop, his only craime was trying to use the Njinikom road which his
abductors said was closed. Despite
pleading that there should be some consiration not to let the people suffer;
the abductors gave a deaf ear insisting the Bishop cannot go. How he spent his
night the Bishop said "I spent my time very usefully praying the
rosary."
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| Archbishop arrives Bamenda |
The boys the
Bishop described as "cooperative" made sure he had clean water,
provided him a bed and in the morning accompanied him while opening the road blocks
right to Mbingo. Recounting his experiences with those he described as Amba
boys in Teze, Bamesing, Yemnge, Esu, Njindom and others, the bishop said “I
have met Amba boys who are cooperative. Who understand the course and who do
not want people to suffer. You are making people to suffer. You cannot be
fighting for justice, truth and you are talking about freedom and the rest and
you prevent people from traveling. We cannot achieve anything good with evil.
Evil can only cause evil and God will not hear our prayer.” He said adding to
it the reminder of the commandments of especially “thou shall not kill…people
who you pretend to be taking care off or to be fighting for are suffering.
There is no medication… if you contribute to it you are spoiling our course.”
The Archbishop
has however not regretted his stay with his abductors. “I am happy that I
stayed the night there with them. Because the group of Belo is the most
intransigent group! I have spoken to a good number of them and they are the
most intransigent; the most radical.” Stating that on his way to talked to them
about education and they accepted that they will allow schools to open.
“Actually in Bafmeng, they are 300 children in school because the school in
Bafmeng is very considerate actually collaborating with the people. We have to
make these boys understand that while fighting for freedom or whatever they are
fighting for they should not destroy what we want to build up. If we want
justice we should start by providing justice and if we want our lives to be
protected we should start by protecting other people’s lives.” He told his
abductors.
Maintaining
that they are all young boys, the Archbishop said “they asked me to pray for
them, I gave them rosaries, I gave them Bibles as well. Innocent boys I must
say but who have been put in a very difficult situation.”
When we
contacted the Archbishop’s house in Bamenda prior to his release, no one was
available to comment on the issue after confirmation that Rev Fr Tata Mbuy
Director of Communications was in India for medical reasons.
It is
however not the first time such an incident was occurring with a Religious
leader along the Bamenda-Fundong road. Saturday June 15, Christians who had
assembled at the St Anthony Catholic Church for the ordination of Rev Fr Linus
Kang had to wait longer after two prominent religious actors were blocked on
the way in Baingo still in Belo Subdivision. They were His lordship George Nkuo
Bishop of Kumbo and Rev Fr Njoroge Richard General Superior of the Mill
Missionaries blocked in different instances along the road for the ordination.