Bishop Benoit Balla’s eighth year of uncertain transition

By Nchendzengang Tatah

Eight years have passed since the Catholic community was stormed by the dramatic death of Bishop Jean-Marie Benoit Balla, the Local Ordinary of Bafia. He was reported missing on May 31, 2017, and his car was located at midday on May 31 on the Sanaga bridge in which had a note translated from French to say, “Do not look for me; I am in the water” alongside his driving license and car documents.

The remains of the prelate were retrieved on June 2 after being found by a fisherman approximately many kilometres away from the bridge. The autopsy is said to have estimated his death to occur on May 31. Traces of torture on his lifeless body were reported by local media at the time. Catholic prelates around the country challenged the idea that Balla had committed suicide. They maintained that he had been murdered for unjust reasons.

Sources at the Bishops’ House report that he left the premises at nearly midnight on May 30. Balla’s demise sparked controversy as to its cause. While others identified the handwriting to be his, some speculated about what could have happened. State media reports said the Bishop’s gatekeeper had opened the gate for the prelate to go out at the time of his departure from the bishopric. By this time, Balla was a 58-year-old Roman Catholic clergy who became a bishop in 2003.

Eight years later, it remains unclear what caused the prelate’s demise. One of the incidents involving Catholic clergy was becoming usual in Bafia. It has, however, become one such story marked by several speculations and buried in uncertainty