The so-called Supreme General of the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) Effang Emmanuel, who was known as General Big Number, has been announced dead by authorities of the Bamenda Regional Hospital.
The hospital’s Director, Dr Denis Nsame, in a release dated February 6, has called on Effang’s family to collect his remains for burial.
This comes close to a month after Cameroonian soldiers forcefully evacuated the dreaded fighter from a private hospital where he was taking treatment for injuries sustained during a military ambush on his hideout.
In January, the military attacked his camp located at Ewae village in Batibo Subdivision, North West Region, killing many of his fighters, but he escaped with serious injuries.
He was subsequently hospitalised at the Mbingo Baptist Hospital in Belo, but on January 21, soldiers stormed the facility and took him away on a stretcher while he was still on treatment.
Authorities made no official statement about his arrest, and the circumstances under which he was handled remain unknown.
According to Dr. Denis Nsame, the 42-year-old’s body “was brought to the Regional Hospital Bamenda Mortuary by the Forces of Law and Order on the 21st of January 2024 at 2:55 p.m.”.
This suggests that he died the same day he was taken away from the hospital.
In a release, Dr Nsame called on his family “to come for identification of the corpse and subsequent removal for burial within eight (8) days.”.
He warned that “If this is not done, the remains will be handed to the competent service for burial.”
Prior to his death, Effang Emmanuel controlled one of the largest separatist groups operating in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.
He had been at the helm of the group since 2018, when the ADF’s top commander Lucas Ayaba Cho appointed him to replace the self-styled General Ivo, who had been killed.
The ADF, under the self-styled General Big Number, committed several atrocities against civilians, including summary killings, abductions, and torture.
The group is best remembered for publicly executing two unarmed men in Guzang, North West Region, on October 4, 2023, after accusing them of spying for the Cameroon military.
From its base in Batibo, the ADF stretched its tentacles to Lebialem, Manyu, Mezam, and other parts of the English-speaking regions.
The group has been severely weakened since his capture on January 21, with many parts of Lebialem, where they used to launch sporadic attacks, reporting relative peace.
