Anglophone Crisis: Separatists kidnap locals for ‘thanking’ the head of state over rehabilitation of long-abandoned Acha-Njikwa road.

Some locals of Acha-Tuggi in Mbengwi, Momo Division of the North West region of Cameroon have been abducted by Ambazonia separatist fighters, MMI has gathered

They were kidnapped on Monday, March 6, 2023.

This follows a viral video in which a handful of villagers gathered in a location expressing gratitude to president Paul Biya and Supreme state audit minister, Mba Acha Rose over the ongoing rehabilitation works on the Acha-Njikwa road.

The road which also serves the Presbyterian-run Acha Hospital has reportedly been abandoned for years plunging the agrarian community into total misery and making access to the hospital difficult.

Following the deployment of caterpillars to grade the road, some villagers and subchiefs gathered to pour libations and thanked authorities for coming to their aid after close to 30 years of abandonment.

“Finally we are in Acha with the caterpillars. Here are the workers, the chiefs, and the population,” a man whom MMI could not get his identity is seen in the video addressing a handful of villagers.

“We thank the head of state for this gesture because, for the past 30 years, no caterpillar has touched this road,” he went on to mention Minister Mbah Acha Rose Formundam for her role in ensuring that this happened.

Expressing their past frustrations, he said the rehabilitation will serve a great purpose for the people of Acha-Tuggi, Njikwa, Mbengwi, and Momo as a whole, who depend mostly on agriculture, for their well-being.

“We have a lot of coffee, cocoa, timber, palm oil, yams, and many other crops and produce, but transporting them to the market is a problem due to bad roads,” he went on adding, “At least everybody is happy that the road is being rendered passable irrespective of the situation our country is facing”

On their part, some old men identified as subchiefs gave ancestral blessings to the road works.

“May this road works go on successfully without any hitch” the chiefs said pouring libations.

According to reports, Ambazonia separatist fighters stormed the area a few hours later abducting those who took part in the ‘thank you’ exercise.

A Hilux belonging to the road workers was also taken away.

The Ambazonia Defense Force, (ADF), an armed separatist militia acting under the command of the Ambazonia Governing Council of Ayaba Cho Lucas has claimed responsibility for the act.

“This is the intervention unit of the Ambazonia Defense Force. We have taken those road workers of Acha and the Pa who organized a thank you exercise to La Republique and Paul Biya for giving them the road,” a voice is overheard in a viral video showing how locals are led away by the armed men.

Their whereabouts remain unknown at the time of this report.

By David Atangana