Baforkum: Traditional ruler tortured, abducted

The traditional ruler of Baforkum in Bambui, North West Region has for a second time been abducted by suspected separatist fighters. He was taken from his palace on Monday night.

“They entered his palace at about 8:00 PM and asked him to follow them but he resisted and they tried to force him,” a local explains.

The traditional ruler’s wife is said to have shouted for help, but those that intervened were also taken hostage by the gunmen.

“Able bodied men around rushed to the palace but were taken at gunpoint and their phones taken. They returned their sim cards but took away the phones,” he says.

He further narrates that “right in front of the villagers that same night, the fon and wife were well beaten and the fon forcefully taken away. Till date, he has not returned”.

Another man in the village was also reportedly taken away with the traditional ruler. The same man too had been kidnapped weeks ago by separatist fighters, alongside the principal of CCAST Bambili.

The abduction of the traditional ruler is one of many in the conflict-hit Anglophone regions. Traditional rulers, teachers, security officers and even lay civilians have all been victims of the kidnappings and sometimes torture and killing.

The Baforkum people are believed to be immigrants from Santa who settled in Bambui. Years ago, they were accorded the status of a third class village.

Mimi Mefo Info