.
Þ Blame their fighters for allegedly collecting 20M FCFA
Þ Fighters claim they wanted to send a message to government
The release of Professor Ivo Leke Tambo, board chairman of the Cameroon General Certificate of Education (GCE) board has instead raised lots of controversy on social media contrary to expectations that it was going to lay to rest, the frenzy that germinated from the mishap.
The alleged collection of 20million FCFA before the release of the personality is reported to be what has caused secessionists to clash amongst themselves.
TCR gathered that after the fighters had kidnapped the Chairman last Saturday 17th March, they took him to an unknown destination where a video showing him half naked was released and posted on social media.
We also learnt that, he was later taken to a forest where he was reportedly forced to take some oaths on behalf of other high profile Anglophone civil servants, not to betray Anglophones again.
TCR learnt from social media sources that he was given a note to deliver to the governors of the Southwest and Northwest regions as well the minister of territorial administration and the prime minister.
TCR was unable to get the content of the note. Unconfirmed information claims that secessionists were paid the sum of FCFA 20 million by family members and some government officials to secure the release of the professor.
He was then released in Dschang in the West region, where he was received by the senior divisional officer for Menoua, who then forwarded him to Yaoundé for medical checkup.
TCR gathered from other sources in Lebialem that the secessionist fighters claimed that they released him to show signs of good faith and to tell the government that it was possible to arrest and release anyone irrespective of the situation, “for peace to reign”.
They also claimed that the release of the GCE board chairman was to cause government to release all Anglophones that are currently held in detention within the context of the ongoing Anglophone crisis.
The controversial payment of FCFA 20M to secessionists, has been the subject of debate within the ranks of secessionists themselves.
The banned consortium said that claims of the alleged collection of FCFA 20 million by the fighters was false and that it was intended to cause the international community to believe that Ambazonia fighters have resorted to kidnapping and collecting huge ransoms.
For its part, the Ambazonia Governing Council has rather said the Ambazonia fighters were wrong to have even released the board chairman and also revealed that their move to begin abducting top civil servants was aimed at putting pressure on government to release all Anglophones currently held in detention.
Meanwhile, other activists have termed the release as “total betrayal” of their cause.
In the meantime, the Ambazonia interim government has not issued a statement either on the abduction or the release of Professor Ivo.
On the side of the government, the Governor of the Southwest region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, confirmed news about the release of the professor even though he said nothing about the circumstances that led to his release, not even about the ransom thing.
Professor Ivo Leke, however becomes the first and only state authority of the three kidnapped, to be released by secessionists. The whereabouts of the other two, the Divisional Officer for Batibo and the Northwest regional delegate of social affairs are yet to be known as a search for them continues.
Recall that Ivo Leke Tambo, recently-appointed chairman of Cameroon’s Anglophone educational board, GCE, was abducted just outside the southwestern town of Lewo.
Professor Tambo was taken hostage in a convoy carrying students from the University of Dschang (West) who were going to a meeting to thank President Paul Biya for the appointment of Paul Tasong Njukang, on March 2nd, as Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development. In a video circulated on social media on Saturday, Leke Tambo could be seen seated on the ground in a bush semi-naked. Elsewhere, social media footage showed an attack on a bus carrying some 30 people by suspected armed members of the self-declared Ambazonia Defence Forces. Saturday, this movement posted on the social networks a video claiming the abduction of 35 people in the town of Fontem (South-West). A few hours later, he released the 34 people, but holds Ivo Leke Tambo. Authorities did not immediately confirm the abduction of Leke Tambo, the latest in a series of abductions in recent weeks. Tension has soared in Anglophone parts of Cameroon accounting for about a fifth of the population, since separatists on October declared the self-proclaimed republic of “Ambazonia”. The tension was ramped up further in January when 47 separatists, including their leader Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, were extradited from Nigeria. During a working visit in the North-West, the new Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, himself a local son, said he came "to transmit a message of dialogue to the people, while asking all those who are still perpetrating acts of terrorism that the time had come to change, because disorder benefits no one.” A few days earlier, the same minister had revealed that in 18 months, 27 elements of the defense and security forces had been assassinated by secessionists.
By FHM
No comments:
Post a Comment