By Boris Esono Nwenfor
BUEA, Cameroon – The Archdiocese of Bamenda has announced a series of unprecedented measures in response to the kidnapping of a Catholic priest, Fr. John Berinyuy Tatah, who has been in captivity for more than a week after he and another priest were abducted by armed separatist fighters in Baba I, Ngoketunjia Division.
The Archbishop of Bamenda, Andrew Nkea, said Fr. John’s continued captivity required firm action. Archbishop Nkea noted that if Fr. John remains in captivity by Wednesday, November 26, all parishes, schools, convents, and Catholic institutions in the Ndop Deanery must shut down. “All priests and religious are ordered to leave immediately for their safety, and the Blessed Sacrament must be removed from tabernacles, which are to be left open,” he said.
Archbishop Nkea declared that if the priest is still held by Friday, November 28, the Archbishop, priests, religious, and lay faithful will march to Baba I. “We will go to the place where Fr. John is being held, and either bring him back home or remain there until he is released.”
The crisis began on November 15, when the Parish Priest of Babessi and his assistant were abducted while returning from the inauguration Mass of the PAX University Institute in Ndop. Armed men claiming to be “Ambazonia” separatist fighters took the two priests to an undisclosed location.
Three days later, on November 18, four priests and a layperson went to negotiate their release. Instead, they too were detained, bringing the total number of captives to seven. On November 20, the captors freed five priests and the layman but refused to release Fr. John, demanding a ransom, an option the Catholic Church insists it will never consider.
Archbishop Nkea condemned the frequent abductions of clergy and lay Christians, saying the Church had reached a breaking point. He said: “The frequent kidnapping of our priests and mission personnel has pushed us to the brink, and we say that this must stop with immediate effect. Many lay people have suffered greatly from kidnappings, torture, and violence within the Archdiocese of Bamenda, and we believe these people need to live in tranquillity and peace.”
He also called out unprofessional conduct by some security forces, urging them to uphold ethical standards and stop extorting money or abusing civilians. Archbishop Nkea appealed to all stakeholders, government, separatists, civil society, and international partners, to intensify efforts toward ending the Anglophone crisis, which has displaced hundreds of thousands and claimed thousands of lives since 2016.
“The people of the North West and South West Regions have suffered enough, and they deserve to live peacefully and carry on with their activities,” Archbishop Nkea said.
