Big Babanki: 18 years later, children of murdered ruler cry for justice
By Joe Mbomsegah
January 19, 2024, clocked 18 years, since the burning to death of His Royal Highness Fon Simon Vugah II of Kejom Keku ( Big Babanki). The traditional authority who ruled the village for decades was killed and his remains were set on fire by a faction of the village’s population on January 19, 2006. The incident has remained fresh in the minds of the children, with some of them orphans who have been saying enough justice was never done regarding the killing of their father. The children claimed that the present traditional authority and some Elites needed to be adequately investigated.
Talking to CNA on the phone, Vugah Eugene one of the sons of the late ruler has continued to contest the legitimacy of the present traditional ruler, HRH Vunbangsi Benjamin.
“Although some people were sentenced for the killing of our dad, the actual perpetrators were never punished or found guilty. The killing of our father was a well-calculated plan and hatched with the complicity of the man on the throne” Vugah Eugene said.
The children of late Fon Vugah had offered prayer sessions wherever they found themselves every January 19, for the repose soul of their dad.
Fon Vugah Simon in an attempt to regain his throne in Big Babanki on January 19, 2006, met stiff resistance from a section of the villagers who lynched him and later on set the corpse on fire giving a bad image to the village.
Recently, there have been some wagging tongues against HRH Vubangsi Benjamin Vutsiboung, following his controversial stands and decisions he took in the village. The recent, was the request for a military post in Big Babanki after separatists flogged women who were against their imposed tax policies in the village.
Recently the Fon’s palace was attacked by separatists where the Fon was rescued by soldiers from being killed. The next day government troops reportedly took him out of the village and he went back to Yaoundé.
CNA
