BY CYNTHIA BIH
The military has intensified its search of a youth leader, Clinton Tim Ndongmuh, who has been accused of siding and collaborating with Ambazonia separatist fighters.
It should be recalled that Ndongmuh had, months back, been kidnapped by separatist fighters who accused him of being a spy of the military. They are said to have whisked him away to their camp, where he was tortured for over a week. He was only released after a ransom was paid.
However, recently, the military is said to have carried out a raid on one of the hideouts of the Ambazonia separatist fighters, which led to the killing of several of the fightersand arms, ammunitions and items were seize. Among the items the military recovered were mobile phones and documents — among which was Ndongmuh’s mobile phone and some personal belongings.
Equally,we gathered that there seems to have been records of ransom payments made by Ndongmuh’s family to secure his release when he was kidnapped and financial transactions made by Ndongmuh to the fighters. With this, the military is said to be suspecting that Ndongmuh had links with the separatist fighters and has been a funder of separatist movements.
To the military, we learned from reliable sources, this was evidence of collaboration with separatists, whom the government has labeled as terrorists.
Because of these accusations, Ndongmuh was picked up and taken to the military camp and subjected to brutal interrogations.
For three days, he was held in degrading conditions, tortured to the point of unconsciousness. But he is said to have later escaped under circumstances that remain cloudy. His whereabouts is currently unknown.
Since then the military has launched a manhunt for him. If arrested by the military, Clinton Tim Ndongmuh will be tried in a military tribunal, under the 2014 anti-terrorism law, whose maximum punishment is the death sentence. That is if she is not killed outright, like many others who have been victims of extra-judicial killings within the context of the armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions.
Meanwhile, if the separatist fighters, who are also said to be looking for him, lay hands on him, they will definitely kill Ndongmuh, like many others who have been victims of atrocities committed by separatist fighters.