(ZENIT News – OMPress / Bamenda, Cameroon, 11.24.2025).- In response to the increasing number of kidnappings of religious figures in the English-speaking region of Cameroon, Archbishop Andrew Nkea of Bamenda has issued an unprecedented ultimatum. The latest kidnapping of a priest, Father John Berinyuy Tatah, prompted the Cameroonian Prelate to write a Pastoral Letter on November 23rd , threatening to close all Catholic institutions in the Ndop Deanery if the priest is not released by Wednesday, November 26th.
On Saturday, November 15th , the priest and his assistant were kidnapped by a group of armed men, after the opening Mass of the Pax University Institute in Ndop. The kidnappers presented themselves as separatist fighters from «Ambazonia,» the self-proclaimed state that claims independence for the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. Days later, four priests and a layman attempted to negotiate the release of the hostages, but they too were taken captive. On the 20th , all were released except for Father John Berinyuy Tatah, for whom a ransom is being demanded.
In response to this, the Archbishop of Bamenda declared in a Pastoral Letter that the position is clear: the Church never pays ransoms. The ultimatum issued by the Archbishop states that if the priest is not released, all parishes, schools, and Catholic institutions in the Deanery of Ndop — the northern part of the diocese where the kidnapping took place –, will be closed. Since neither the Archbishop himself nor the Christians he serves can guarantee the safety of the priests and religious personnel in the Deanery, the Blessed Sacrament will be removed from all churches, chapels, and oratories, leaving each tabernacle with its doors open.
Monsignor Nkea denounces the frequency, in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, of kidnappings of religious and missionary personnel, and the fact that numerous civilians are also abducted and suffer torture and violence. He calls on the military forces to maintain law and order and to ensure the safety of the population, asking them to be professional and ethical in their relations with the population and not to exploit them by demanding money. «I ask all those involved in this crisis,» the Pastoral Letter concludes, «to do everything in their power to engage in dialogue and bring this crisis to an end. The populations of the Northwest and Southwest regions have already suffered enough and deserve to have a peaceful life and carry out their activities in peace.» By ordering the closure of its institutions, a strong message is being sent about the anarchy reigning in this area of Cameroon and it highlights the urgent need for a lasting political and security solution to prevent the total collapse of social life in the Northwest of the country.
