By David Atangana
A video circulating on social media shows Fon Felix Tebong, a staff member of the Batibo Council, who was kidnapped weeks ago by Ambazonia separatist fighters in Batibo, Momo Division, in the crisis-stricken North West region of Cameroon.
In the video, Tebong shows visible signs of torture and maltreatment, with deteriorating wounds on his stomach and arms.
Under duress, he is forced to plead with his family and friends to comply with ransom demands or face death.
“Today is September 7. I am pleading with my family to give what they have asked. They have said if it is given, today will be my last day to live,” Tebong states in the video.
His fate after the video remains unknown.
Kidnapping for ransom is as old as the ongoing crisis in the two English-speaking regions of the country.
Most of these abductions have been attributed to armed separatist groups fighting for independence.
Civil servants and business persons are frequent targets of the kidnappers.
