The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Kumba, Mgr Agapitus Nfon, has said a priest of the diocese was abducted in the Ndian Division while performing his pastoral duties.
Father Elvis Mai, parish priest of St. Martin De Porres Parish, Bekora, was abducted Tuesday, May 28, while en route to Bafaka Mission Station, a remote area within the restive Ekondo-Titi subdivision of Ndian Division.
“My dear People of God in the Sacred Heart Diocese of Kumba, news has reached us that the Parish Priest of St. Martin de Porres Parish, Bekora was abducted on his way to Bafaka Mission Station,” a statement from the Bishop’s house in Kumba said.
Without further details, the Bishop called on Christians “to pray fervently for the safety and release of Fr. Elvis Mai as soon as possible.”
Details surrounding the abduction remain scarce. The identity and motives of the kidnappers are unknown, and the current location of Father Mai is undetermined.
As of now, no demands have been publicly made by the abductors, leaving the community in uncertainty.
The crisis in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions has seen an alarming rise in kidnappings, often driven by the quest for ransom.
These acts are predominantly attributed to armed separatist groups seeking to establish an independent state known as Ambazonia in the English-speaking North West and South West regions.
The conflict, rooted in long-standing grievances over marginalization and oppression by the predominantly Francophone government, has led to a humanitarian crisis marked by violence, displacement, and widespread fear.
