Balikumbat girl found in Douala 8 years after father claimed she was killed

By Nukapuh P.

Wasum Augustine, former Mayor of the Balikumbat council in Ngoketunjia division in the North West region is relieved after a girl he was accused of killing was found alive in Douala.

Iyeh Precious, daughter of Nwanyek Philip was recently found in the economic capital, Douala hawking, we learned. This is coming years after the former Mayor was jailed by the hitherto missing girl’s father for allegedly kidnapping and killing his daughter.

CNA gathered from sources close to the family that this was a ploy to get Mayor Wasum Augustine off his seat.

The said girl disappeared in June 2015 and has not been seen for the past years. Her father was a councillor at the Balikumbat council and also a friend to the Mayor, we learned. The matter was brought before the Ndop high court in 2016 and Wasum Augustine served a pre-trial detention for more than two years at the Ndop prison.

In December 2018, the accused was released on basis that there were no evidence to support that he committed the act. The girl’s father later on filed an appeal against the court’s decision and it was later on overruled by the North West court of appeal and the accused was arrested once again in 2022 and detained at the Bamenda central prison.

We gathered that the case may see another twist as the girl has been identified and detained by security forces in Douala. Another source revealed that for the past years, the girl’s name has been changed just for her father to win the case against the former Mayor.