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Last of Six Abducted Catholic Priests in Cameroon’s Bamenda Archdiocese Regains Freedom

Fr. John Berinyuy Tatah. Credit: Bamenda Archdiocese
Jude Atemanke

By Jude Atemanke

Bamenda, 02 December, 2025 / 11:39 pm (ACI Africa).

Fr. John Berinyuy Tatah, the last of the six Catholic Priests who were abducted in Cameroon’s Bamenda Archdiocese on November 15, has regained his freedom.

Fr. Berinyuy was released by armed separatist fighters who kidnapped him alongside others on Tuesday, December 2. The circumstances surrounding his release remain unclear, with both Church authorities and local leaders exercising caution given the sensitivity of the situation.

In a video circulated on Facebook shortly after his release, the Cameroonian Catholic Priest recounted how they were abducted and appealed for peace in Cameroon’s troubled Anglophone regions.

“I was arrested with my brothers because the forces of La Republic accompanied us to Ndop for the opening of the university. During the Mass, the Nuncio came to inaugurate the university in the war zone, and we say that we are very sorry that that happened, and that it will not happen again,” Fr. Berinyuy said.

He added, “We are praying that there should be dialogue to see to the solution of the Southern Cameroonian, and that there should be justice and peace, so that a lasting solution should be brought to these problems that we are facing.”

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The Catholic Priest invited human rights and international bodies to “see into our problems.”

“We even invite the church that they should see into our problem, that justice and peace is brought about in this situation, and that there should be dialogue between brothers, so that peace should return back into Southern Cameroon,” he implored.

Fr. Berinyuy appealed to Archbishop Andrew Fuanya Nkea of Bamenda, and the Holy Father to intervene “using their own powers” to see to it that “this dialogue and that justice and peace is done.”

The abduction had sparked widespread concern across the region. Archbishop Nkea condemned the act and reiterated the Church’s policy against paying ransom, urging those involved in the conflict not to target religious figures or the local population.

The Archbishop emphasized that frequent kidnapping of Priests and Mission personnel had pushed the Church in the troubled region to the wall, adding, “We say that this should stop with immediate effect.”

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“There are many lay people who have suffered a lot from kidnappings, torture, and violence within the Archdiocese of Bamenda, and we think these people need to live in tranquility and peace,” the Catholic Archbishop lamented.

He also urged the military personnel who he said are supposed to maintain law and order and ensure the security of the people, to be professional and ethical in their relationship towards the people and not exploit them by collecting money from them or torturing them in any way.

Archbishop Nkea called on all parties to the Anglophone crisis, which is in its ninth year, to do everything within their powers to dialogue and bring restore calm in the region.

He said, “The people of the North West and South West Regions have suffered enough, and they deserve to have a quiet life and go about their activities peacefully.”

Cameroon’s English-speaking regions plunged into conflict in 2016 after a protest by lawyers and teachers turned violent. 

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An armed movement of separatists seeking independence for the so-called republic of Ambazonia emerged following the government’s crackdown on protesters.

Jude Atemanke

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.