By Talla Aghaa Christopher
Two Bafaw Traditional Rulers in Meme Division, South West Region who were recently freed from captivity after spending almost four months and three weeks respectively in the den of Ambazonia fighters have narrated their ordeals.
It should be recalled that on the early hours of Wednesday, February 21, 2018 HRH Chief Mbele Colins of Ikiliwindi, a village located along the Kumba -Mamfe highways in Konye Sub Division, Meme Division alongside his Traditional Council chairman and secretary were abducted taken to the ‘Amba den’ deep into the forest. Another Bafaw Traditional Ruler HRH Chief Eseme Elise of Kokobuma a village situated on the Kumba- Mamfe highways in Konye Subdivision, Meme Division was equally abducted in May this year around Ediki on his way to Kumba from Buea. His abductors took him into the forest.
Whereas HRH Chief Mbele Colins of Ikiliwindi was set free on Saturday June 9, 2018, HRH Chief Eseme Elise gained freedom on Sunday, June 10, 2018.
Talking to THE SUN, HRH Chief Eseme Elise of Kokobuma disclosed that while on his way back from Buea where his family is based due to insecurity in his village, their vehicle had a mechanical fault around Ediki-Mabonji along the Kumba -Buea highway. While he like other passengers were impatiently waiting for the driver to repair the vehicle, he decided to make a walk along the road just for him to discover that he was accosted by a commercial bike rider who opted to carry him along to a nearby check point at Mabonji which he did without a second thought. Unfortunately for him the rider accompanied by another strange face took him into a deep forest which he cannot identify.
HRH Chief Eseme Elise said for about 5 days the Amba Boys did not ask him any question as he struggled to negotiate his freedom. The Kokobuma Traditional Ruler cum Councilor of Konye Council opined that contrary to rumour that he was badly treated by the Amba boys, he instead had fair treatment with abundant food to eat.
The worst life in the forest he said is that there is no house or make-shift structure for people to live in. He hinted that he was given the opportunity to constantly make calls to family relations and well wishers to inform them that he was waxing strong. Quizzed whether he was set free after a ransom was paid to the abductors, the Traditional Ruler in an affirmative disclosed an amount of FCFA 2.5 million was made available by his family to the abductors after serious negotiation for him to be set free. He noted that throughout his stay in the Amba den, his prayer was for God to intervene for him to gain freedom as fast as possible.
With his experience in the Amba den, HRH Chief Eseme Elise used the briefing to call on government to rapidly intervene by calling for inclusive, frank and open dialogue with the parties involved for long lasting solution to the ongoing unrest.
On his part, HRH Chief Mbele Colins who had spent close to 120 days in the Amba den lacked words to express his feelings after gaining his freedom. Hear him: “I must thank the Almighty God, family members and friends for their constant prayers to see that I finally gained my freedom”.
He recalled that for about the first two weeks in the hands of the Amba Boys he was psychological tortured but later on made up his mind to face his ordeal and accept the situation. He opined that he was never tortured even though there was much in terms feeding he couldn’t take it lightly because at the end of the day, he said “home is home”.
Quizzed whether he paid any ransom to gain his freedom, he said though he cannot really recollect the amount of money paid in as ransom, he hinted that much was given.
He equally craved the indulgence of the government to create a forum for an inclusive dialogue with those concerned as the crisis has now taken a different twist with random kidnappings, burning of villages and the creation of new villages and settlement in the bushes and with an increasing number of Internally Displaced Persons coupled with hardship and poverty.