The Archdiocese of Bamenda, through its leader His Grace Andrew Fuanya Nkea, has issued a solemn statement demanding the unconditional release of Rev. Fr. John Berinyuy Tatah. The Archbishop has declared that if Fr. John is not released by Wednesday, November 26, 2025, the entire Ndop deanery will be shut down indefinitely.
In his directive, Archbishop Nkea stated: “If by Wednesday, 26th November 2025, the captors have not released Fr. John, I request all the priests, religious personnel from all Catholic Institutions in Ndop Deanery to close down the parishes, schools and all other Catholic Institutions and leave the Deanery till further notice”.
He elaborated on the security rationale behind this drastic measure, explaining it is because “neither the Bishop nor the Christians whom they serve can guarantee the security of the priests and the religious personnel in this Deanery”.
As part of the withdrawal process, the Archbishop instructed that priests should “remove the Blessed Sacrament from all Churches, chapels and oratories and leave all tabernacles open”.
Timeline of Events and Escalating Church Response
The crisis began on Saturday, November 15, 2025, when the Parish Priest of Babessi and his Assistant were abducted by gunmen in Baba I. The gunmen, who identified themselves as Ambazonia fighters, took the priests to an unknown destination while they were returning from the inauguration Mass of the PAX University Institute in Ndop.
The situation escalated dramatically on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, when a group of four priests and one lay person went to negotiate the release of the two kidnapped priests. In a shocking turn, the gunmen decided to detain this negotiation party as well, bringing the total number of captives to seven.
Fortunately, by the evening of Thursday, November 20, 2025, the gunmen agreed to release five priests and the layman. However, they chose to hold back Fr. John Berinyuy Tatah and demanded a ransom for his release. The church’s position on this matter remains unequivocal, with the Archbishop affirming: “We have made our position clear that the church never gives ransoms”.
In response to this impasse, Archbishop Nkea has outlined a series of escalating measures. With immediate effect, the faithful are to say the Prayer of St. Michael the Archangel after Communion during every Mass for Fr. John’s liberation. Should he remain captive beyond Wednesday, 26 November, it will trigger the complete closure of Catholic institutions and the withdrawal of all religious personnel from the Ndop Deanery.
Furthermore, if Fr. John is still not freed by Friday, November 28, the Archbishop declared that “the Archbishop, all the priests, religious and members of Christ’s lay faithful of the Archdiocese will go down to Baba 1 and march to the place where Fr. John is being held, and either bring him back home, or remain there until he is released”.
The Archbishop’s statement places this incident within the wider context of the region’s prolonged nine-year conflict, emphasising that “the frequent kidnapping of our Priests and Mission personnel has pushed us to the wall and we say that this should stop with immediate effect.” He noted the profound suffering of the lay population, stating, “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”.
Archbishop Nkea, who also serves as President of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC), made a dual appeal to both state and non-state actors. He called on military personnel “who 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”.
Simultaneously, he addressed all stakeholders in the nine-year crisis, urging them “to do everything within their powers to dialogue and bring this crisis to an end.” He emphasised that “the people of the Northwest and Southwest Regions have suffered enough and they deserve to have a quiet life and go about their activities peacefully”.
The potential closure of the Ndop deanery would have severe consequences for the local population, jeopardising both healthcare services and education in an area where mission schools and health facilities remain operational despite the ongoing crisis.
