Buea: Family in desperation to settle multimillion debt of missing ladies
By Nchendzengang Tatah
It has been four years since the Akem family has put up the search for two missing daughters and a housemate. They are seeking them to pay millions of FCFA in a scandal involving the eldest. This has led to the arrest of several members of the Akem’s for failure to comply with payment commitments.
Akem Patience Futzi, 36; Akem Redeem Nyangha, 29 and Carine Nalova Ndumbe, 30, were announced missing in 2020. Carine Nalova is confirmed to have dwelt with the two sisters, being a friend of the younger, Redeem.
A family source informed CNA that the three girls disappeared in the heat of a scandal case between Akem Patience and her employer, Buea P&T Credit Union alleging her misappropriation of 13.1 million CFA.
Patience’s older sister recalled that she (Patience) indicated after being arrested by the Microfinance, the money was loaned to Carine Nalova. She explained that Patience was bailed out and Carine put under custody by the Akem family for repayment.
They only learned of Patience and Redeem’s absence when Carine was bailed out by anonymous individuals. And then reportedly housed for some days by the Akem sisters around Street 4-Great Soppo before their disappearance. The sibling of the two missing girls further hinted.
“It was like someone just locked the door and went downstairs to do something. Food that they heated on the gas was standing there, a cup of tea, a blanket, and pillow on the chair, and dresses were steeped for washing when we broke in with the police,” the eldest of the Akem’s said.
She remembered that they found the identification and education documents of the two sisters laid on their bed. But that of Carine was not seen. MTN details later led them to connect with a man in Nigeria who the Akem’s narration noted, confirmed the three girls were under his care. But later disclosed that the three had moved to Benin.
Patience Akem has not reached out via any medium for her two kids left behind since then, we were told. Recent statements from the P&T Credit Union have raised the claimed misappropriated sum by Patience to over 27 million FCFA, family sources said. Carine’s family is reported not to have been involved until August 2024, when her aunt reached out to the Akems to lament.
The Akem family disclosed they have spent much in following up with legal instruments to trace the ladies in Nigeria but with no green light. Their spirituality and prayers have as much bore no fruits and the parents of the two siblings resident in Douala, and other family members have piles of personal debts to settle as a result, CNA learned.
The ICRC statistics show that there are more than 1,500 open cases of missing people in Cameroon, with more than 420 registered in 2020. At least 512 people were confirmed missing in the Anglophone regions in 2022 from 2016 according to the Centre for Human Rights. Reasons foremost are; kidnapping, forced disappearance, debt avoidance, and missing in action.
