MBENGWI MOMO DIVISION: MARTHA AKOM FOMUNYOH, VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCES OR COLLATERAL DAMAGE?

Martha, 44 and a resident of Mbengwi in the North West Region of Cameroon was arrested on Thursday 3rd August,2017. This arrest was laid right in front of her kids( age range between 8-25years), her sister Bridget Agei and her aunt Christina Tah.

From eye witness accounts, two men came to her house that also hosts a liquor joint and demanded to buy drinks. She told them that she couldn't serve them first of all because she had family visitors and above all, her stock was empty. The men then called a bike rider to pick them up. Three minutes after the customers took of, uniform officers showed up and asked for the two men. Someone pointed to the direction they took and the police men went after them,apprehended them to her house. The commissioner of police came and asked for guns that were in their keeping. 

They all said they hadn't guns on them and an instant body search was carried out on them. Southern Cameroon adherent cards were alledgedly found on the men  and they were ferried straight to the charge office. At 10.30am that same day, some police officers came and took Martha away telling everyone around that the Senior Divisional Officer wanted to have a chat with her. She was brought back to her house later that sameday, all her children and relatives sent out at that time for them to conduct a search. Her house was frantically ransacked but nothing was discovered.

They then took her back claiming that they needed to take some statements from her. She willingly got into their car and followed them. The following morning, her brothers Elias and Joel, her sister Bridget and her aunt went to the Mbengwi charge office to look for her but were told that she had been whisked-off to Bamenda.

When they arrived Bamenda, they were also told that she was not there until a smart sister of hers tipped one of the officers on duty who led her to see Martha. She was seen in a very disturbing physical and psychological condition. She had been tortured to the extent that her eyes were all swollen and she had marks all over her face.

That was the last time any family member set eyes on her. They were later informed that she had been transferred to Yaounde. On Monday 7th, the whole family went to the Kondengui maximum prison to look for her but to their greatest shock, they were told that the group that was arrested in Mbengwi was slated for execution today August 14.

Since then,we learned that they have been transferred to the SED concentration camp and no one has heard her or seen her again. Her family are now languishing in utter bewilderment and wondering what must have become of her or what the future holds for her. They are praying that people of good will should intervene so that their whereabouts should be known and her release secured.