Tag: boko-haram

Truths, standards and ethics are rare commodities in Biya’s Kamerun. Since the start of the Civil war between the majority French speaking and the minority English-speaking people, lies and fabrications of facts have been the norm. Unable to defeat the English-speaking soldiers(Ambazonia State Armies), and ashamed to dialogue as recommended by international bodies, Biya has forged ahead with trying to impose control over the anglophone regions(Ambazonia) with Administrators whom he cannot guarantee their security. Hitherto marginalized, Anglophones have seen themselves being assigned positions earlier denied them prior to the start of the Civil War in 2016. The sad reality being that they are being sent to the war zone. Such is the case of Mr Ewane Roland, Divisional Officer of a local government area called Idabato close to the Gulf of Guinea where pirates frequent. Mr Ewane was allegedly kidnapped by unknown men, on 1st October 2024 to unknown location within the creeks in the area.

RANSOM DEMANDED BY KIDNAPPERS

According to family members of Mr. Ewane, and on social media, the kidnappers initially demanded billions of dollars, but since scaled it down to less than a million dollars with an assortment of equipment such as generators and boat engines. The family has made a sympathetic plea to the Cameroun government, to secure the release of their brother to no avail. The government according to the family insists it does not pay ransom. This to many flies in the face of their track record as they have consistently paid ransom to groups like Boko Haram to secure hostages.

In April 2013, Paul Biya, of Cameroon willy-nilly coughed out about $3.14 million ransom to secure liberty for some seven members of an adopted French family (Moulin-Fourniers). These inconsequential citizens were received by Paul Biya at the state house, even though they insisted in public that no ransom was paid. Again July in 2014, the group seized the Lamido (local ruler), of Kolofata, in Northern Cameroon and the wife of Cameroon’s deputy prime minister, Akaoua Babiana.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Amahdou Ali had represented the Cameroon government in the Moulin-Fourniers negotiations, and failed to pay the totality of the ransom agreed with the group. Again, the Cameroon government was obliged to release about 30 Boko Haram prisoners and weapons with a safe passage back to Boko Haram territory, about $600,000 in cash to complete the previous payment and to secure freedom for the prime minister’s wife and the other hostages among whom were 10 Chinese engineers.

Idabato where Mr Ewane was assigned is in the Anglophone region(Ambazonia) where a civil war, has killed over 54000 people and displaced more than 2 million since 2016.