A kidnapping case that began on January 18th has ended in tragedy with the discovery of the victim’s body. Two suspects were also arrested by gendarms.
The Territorial Gendarmerie Regiment in Bamenda has confirmed the death of Kadiry Sali, a 43-year-old man. He was abducted from Foumbot, in the West Region of Cameroon.
The case came to light on February 4th when a complaint was filed with the Gendarmerie in Bamenda for kidnapping and ransom demands.
Sali’s family had already paid 800,000 CFA francs to the kidnappers, but communication ceased shortly after they received the money.
The investigation quickly led to the arrest of two individuals: Ibrahim Abdulahi (21 years old) and later Usmanu Yakubou (38 years old) by officers of the Territorial Gendarmerie Regiment in Bamenda.
According to Abdulahi’s confession, they kidnapped Kadiry Sali and subjected him to torture before ultimately killing him. He revealed that the victim was tortured because he had recognized their faces and could potentially report them to authorities. Abdulahi also claimed that Usmanu Yakubou forced him to commit the crime, alleging that Kadiry Sali owed him money.
Outcome of Intense Investigation
Lieutenant Nkengfack, head of the Special Investigation and Research Unit of the Territorial Gendarmerie Regiment in Bamenda, confirmed that the kidnapping complaint was filed on February 4, 2025, despite the abduction occurring on January 18. “The family had already paid 800,000 CFA francs in ransom, but after that, all communication ceased. Our investigation quickly led us to track down a suspect in Wum, precisely in Benakuma,” he stated.
A team of investigators, accompanied by Mr. Kuicheu Tabet Baudouin, Deputy Public Prosecutor of Foumbot, and Dr. Chinmoun, a forensic pathologist, conducted an on-site search. They discovered the decomposed body of Kadiry Sali in an advanced state of putrefaction. After forensic examination, the Public Prosecutor ordered that the body be handed over to the family for burial.
Authorities in Bamenda later confirmed the gruesome details of the murder. Lieutenant-Colonel Alobwede Muabe Peter, Commander of the Territorial Gendarmerie Regiment in Bamenda, described the manner in which Kadiry Sali was tortured:
“A rope was tied around his neck and attached to a tree. Another rope bound his left leg to a second tree, while a third rope secured his right leg to a third tree. His hands were tied behind his back. He was suspended until he died.”
The investigation is still ongoing to apprehend other accomplices still on the run. The authorities have vowed to bring all those involved to justice.
