In the past only
those who visited cinema halls would tell stories of movies in which people are
kidnapped at gun-point or tricked to unknown destinations. But nowadays, the
story is very different as reports of people kidnapped at gun point are rampant
in almost every community. Since 2013 when the Islamist group Boko Haram in
neighbouring Nigeria began incursions into Cameroon, kidnapping of foreign and
local nationals have steadily increased. The unstable security situation has
served as a platform for other radical local groups with various agendas to
thrive. While kidnapping and child trafficking had been common in the three
northern regions of Extreme North, North and Adamawa, it is on the rise in the
North West. While the dust is yet to settle over the case of little Happi
Prety, a nursery school kid who recently died in the hands of kidnappers,
villagers of the mile 25 area, located in the outskirt of Ndop are still
wondering whether life will ever be the same again. This follows the kidnapping
of a certain Regina Lagbor and her son Joel who were whisked off at gunpoint by
unidentified men on the night breaking 21st August, 2016. The story goes that
after a fire attack in 2015 that destroyed their entire house and belongings,
and subsequent death threats, the pair had been living in hiding taking refuge
in the houses of friends and church members. On the night of the attack, their
host was brutally attacked upon return from using the external toilet. At gun
point, she was severely beaten while her hosts were taken away to an unknown
destination. The population immediately pointed accusing fingers at her family
and traditional loyalists who had constantly clashed with her over her opposition
to established traditional customs, practices and institutions. According to
what we gathered, the rivalry was so deep and open to the extent that some
traditionalists used to mockingly greet her like a chief (bowing and clapping
their hands), openly saying that they had never seen a woman who considered
everything about the tradition as bad and outdated. A member of her church
group (whose name cannot be disclosed for security reasons) disclosed that “Ma
Regi (as she was commonly called) will always insist that she will prefer to
die rather than see her children go through the horror she has been through in
the name of respecting family and tradition.” Despite the fact that the rich
and middle classes used to constitute fertile grounds for kidnappers because of
their ability to pay huge ransoms, kidnapping is now used to settle scores
regardless of societal class. Some people have been kidnapped inside and
outside their residences, on the streets, on the way to the farms, etc and in
bright day light as well as at night. Other recent cases of kidnappings in the
North-West region include: a primary school pupil, Asanji Romirro Andu, who was
kidnapped near their home in Bamenda last November; and the son of a certain
Maurice Viban whose child was kidnapped in the playground of Government School
Bamkika’ai in Bui Division. When contacted for information regarding the
disappearance of Ma Regi and her son, the central police station in Ndop
refused to comment on the matter. We were asked to provide a list of specific
information we required and they will contact us. All attempts to acquire
additional information from the police and other state representatives have
been fruitful. Usual excuses for failing to appropriately exercise their duties
have been: the absence of specialised skills to deal with new challenges (such
as kidnapping); and insufficient human and financial resources. The case of Ma
Regi is especially troublesome as her friends testified that she had complained
several times to the police and social services but no effective actions were
taken. Various human and women’s rights advocates have constantly decried the
lack of effective government actions to enable traditional institutions to
integrate fundamental human rights and dignities into local cultures. On their
part, most western embassies continue to warn their national to avoid visiting
particular areas of the country for fear of being kidnapped
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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