‘Facilitate my release’ – laments abducted president of Northwest House of Chiefs
By Drusilla Nange
Fon Kevin Shumitang II, Traditional Ruler of Bambalang – a village in Ndop, Ngokentujia sub-division, who doubles as the President of the Northwest House of chiefs has in a recent video called on all powers that be, to facilitate his release from captivity.
In the over 1-minute video, Fon Shumitang II stated some conditions spelt out by his kidnappers before his release.
“I am here today to cry because I am held captive under General No Pity and he says if his family members who’ve been arrested are not released, he will not release me. So he says if his family members are released today, he will also release me. So I am using this medium to cry and plead on the powers that be to facilitate the release process of his family members so that I can also be freed. Thank you very much,” he concluded.
It’s worth stating that No Pity is self-declared general and part of the separatist movements clamouring for a breakaway state called Southern Cameroons – today’s Northwest and Southwest Regions, currently experiencing prolonged armed conflict – codenamed the Anglophone Crisis.
Amidst the ongoing crisis a good number of traditional rulers and denizens have suffered and endured pain inflicted on them by both sides of the conflict. The traditional ruler of Bambalang is just one of the many who’s been held captive. He has spent almost a year captivity.
Fon Shumitang II was reportedly taken hostage on December 7, 2021 in Bambalang by armed men – suspected to be separatist fighters when he went to the village for the 84th edition of the Cultural Festival of the Mbaw Yakum People – commonly known as the ‘Sha’atang,’ which had not taken place for about 4 years as a result of the crisis.
About 40 armed men showed up at the Palace and carted him off to an unknown location.
Unconfirmed sources said a sum of FCFA 20 million was to be ransomed for his release. Evidently, the most recent trending video on social media of the traditional ruler is a recent development of the conditions earlier set by his kidnappers to secure his release.
At the time of this report, it is still unknown where the President of House of Chiefs is held captive.
