By Atia Tilarious Azohnwi
Barrister Akere Muna, former president of the Cameroon Bar Association and candidate in the 2018 presidential elections has said the Government of President Paul Biya no longer has control over what goes on in the North West and South West regions of the country.
The international lawyer and son of one of the architects of Cameroon’s Reunification, ST Muna made his observations in a tweet Saturday April 27 following the kidnapping of Ni John Fru Ndi, National Chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) party.
Barrister Akere Muna upon receiving news of Fru Ndi’s abduction took to twitter to express the depths of his emotions. He said it came 21 days after he was targeted as he went to bury his brother, Wali Muna in Mbengwi, Momo Division. Eric Tataw had announced on March 31 that “the Family of Late S.T Muna attacked at funeral of brother”, but very little is known of what actually happened.
Akere wrote: “Just learnt about the kidnapping of SDF Chairman Fru Ndi. That fate was almost 21 days ago. Whither with this form of thuggery and Lawlessness? It is my prayer that he and all those abducted are released. Gov’t controls nothing in the Anglophone [North West and South West] regions. Inclusive dialogue now!”.
In another tweet that announced Fru Ndi’s release, Akere thanked God and said Fru Ndi’s abduction has sounded another alarm bell and government must now come out of its state of denial.
“Just learnt about the release of the Chairman. Thank God. The government should heed to this alarm. It must stop smoking its own exhaust and getting high on it,” he tweeted.
He adds that: “The realities necessitate an urgent inclusive dialogue.”
Cameroon’s fiery opposition leader Ni John Fru Ndi was kidnapped by separatist fighters in Kumbo earlier on Saturday, April 27, 2019 but was freed after over half a dozen hours in “detention”.
The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) party was heading a delegation to Kumbo to bury Hon. Banadzem Joseph Lukong, the party’s group leader at the National Assembly when he was taken into “custody” by gunmen.