Kumba based journalist released after hours on hostage
Fear grips journalists in Kumba as one of their colleagues was taken hostage last night by a group of unidentified gun men who passes for “Ambaboys” demanding support for the Anglophone struggle.
The young hardworking journalist, (names withheld for security reason) who works with one of the famous Radio stations in Kumba, was taken from his apartment in the outskirt of Kumba, Southwest Region of Cameroon, yesterday at gun point by some “Ambaboys” to one of their hideouts where he was robbed of all his valuables and later released.
Reports from some colleagues say the victim was seen yesterday in the evening at about 6pm around Lido Street Kumba when he was about returning home from work.
According to one of his colleagues (names withheld for security reasons), “I received a message from a strange number at about 3 AM that the said colleague (the victim) has been taken from his apartment by some unidentified by “Ambaboys” at gun point to an unknown destination”. But the strange number automatically became unreachable after the message was read. All efforts by other colleagues to get the victim on the phone proof futile as his mobile phone had been taken away.
Before taking him away it is said that, the “Ambaboys” took along most of his belongings especially electronics from his house in the name of support for the group before robbing him of his mobile phone in their hideout.
One of his colleagues who managed to get in touched with the victim’s neighbor said the victim was back home but without his valuables. He said the victim was allowed after hours in captivity to go back home on foot and warned not to look back.
The managing director of the Radio (the victim’s boss) said he was called with a strange number at about 3 AM in the morning and a strange voice told him his worker was held on captivity. A few seconds later he heard the voice of his worker crying in agony.
It is worth noting that the Anglophone Crisis which has been going on for more than two years is getting worst than many had feared it would be.
Multi-award winning journalist and founder of sisterspeak 237, Comfort Musa recently this posted on her Facebook page “Imagine the sound of gunshots no longer frightens – death lives with us. Imagine bloody corpses no longer shock – we have buried too many without even washing off the blood or preparing the corpses for befitting burial Imagine how numb we have become”.
Beside all these, kidnapping and demanding of “ransom before release” has become very normal and families who cannot pay the ransom are handed over or find the lifeless bodies of their love ones in nearby bushes. Some victims have even died in captivity while arrangements to pay ransom were underway.
Up to the time when this news is being published our team has not had any of his colleagues who had visited him after the incident and we are still to talk with the victim and his boss.
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