"Ngumba" Vandalises Christians In Church

By Jeff Nwawe Yufenyu

The "Ngumba" (a secret juju society) of Mambu Palace in Bafut, Northwest Province, has vandalised Christians of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, CBC Church, recently.

The Ngumba also seized church property and ordered that the church be closed down.
According to a report by the Lay Preacher of the Church, Brother Lyberius Lavwir, to the CBC hierarchy in Bamenda, members of the Ngumba invaded the church during a Bible study class, harassed and brutalised Christians.

The report states that members of the Ngumba carried away church property including two drums, two Bibles, church signboard, pulpit and the inquirers lesson book.  The Ngumba then placed an injunction at the doors of the church, the reports states.  Three members of the Ngumba, which the Christians recognized, included John Ambe, Muche Ambe and Titus Ambe.
The Lay preacher said after the aggression, the Ngumba summoned him to Mambu Palace.  At the Palace, Lavwir said they told him that he was summoned to take instructions and not to speak.  The reasons the Ngumba gave for wanting the Baptist church out of the village was that the teachings of this church was not in line with the teachings of other churches in the area.

Lavwir said the Ngomba accused the church of baptizing people without the consent of family members.  Lavwir said the Ngumba ordered the church to pay a series of fines if it wished to continue operating in Mambu.  The fines include 10 goats and 10 jugs of palm wine.  The church was also asked to halt door-to-door evangelism.  "No fines, no return of church items seized," the Ngumba declared.

In a chat with The Post, Rev. Joseph Bamu, the CBC Field Pastor of Bamenda field, in whose jurisdiction Bafut falls, said he has launch a complaint to the Brigade Commander of National Gendarmerie in Bafut. "Who made the members of this Ngumba judges over ecclesiastical activities?" Rev. Bamu questioned. 

The man of God said by planting fetishes in the name of injunction, they desecrated divine and holy premises.  If the leadership of the church in Mambu faltered in any way, the Ngumba would have sought the attention of the civil administration," the Field Pastor said.

Rev Bamu said the three members of the Ngumba cited above, and the church leaders were summoned for a meeting at the Gendarmerie Brigade in Bafut.  According to Rev. Bamu, the Ngumba was given a few days to remove the injunction they placed at the church and to return the church items seized.

Comments

[Ebonylad]

This is rubbish in the name of tradition.It is high time our tradition is adapted to modernity.Illitrates must stop these outrageous and primitive vandalism in the name of tradition.

The CBC also has no religious right to baptise children without the parents'consent.Baptism is for mature ones who can make decisions on their own.Children remain under the authority of their parents or state laws.
However, the 3 suspects must be punished according to the law for trespassing and orchestrating vandalism on church property.
Ebonylad.

[Che Sunday]

Ebonylad,
Much as the vandalism is regreted and uncalled for, you have to come from Bafut, and especially Mambu where I come from to have a clue as to what is going on. Not everything that passes as a religion pans out to be one. Fake pastors and religions are croping up in Cameroon as bad mushrooms in early spring. If you call yourself a religion and have no curtesy for those you do business with, i.e, asking me before babtizing my child, I will sue you all the way to heaven. But Cameroon being as corrupt as it is, the legal aparatus is nonexistent, so , mob justice seems to be the modus operandi. This is one religion, together with the Jehova witness I will like to see stay out of Mambu for eternity.Catholicism and presbyterian teachings are good enough for us. Any fortune seeker using the bible as an excuse to come to my village should stay in "teh ko Njoh." If you are Bafut or Mankon, you will know what I mean.

[rexon]

Che Sunday wrote:

"Catholicism and presbyterian teachings are good enough for us"

You and who? I am not in any of those religions and will never be. I am proud to be a born again christian and will always be. If you believe that your religion is all we need and all we should succumb to, thn you are wrong. Of all the teachings of those two religions, what has really changed? All corrupts bandits in our government were trained from those backgrounds. their colleges, Sasse, Bishop rogan, CPC bali, etc. grommed the current leaders of la republique. did their religion teach them to do what they are doing: corruption? Its a shame.

[Che Sunday]

And you believe the addition of another will make any difference?
Rexon, all you need is a little bit of poison to kill you. Do you really need an overdose of it?
If you ask me, I will take my Ngumba and quifon over any religion. These institutions gave us reason to respect legal findings, to be honorable people and God fearing. Christianity came and called us "pagans". They came with the bible and told us how people had wings called angels and could fly. We bought the lies hook and line. Now a new era of liers is sweeping the country and you would have us continue tolerating them just because the product of prior liars turned out sour? What makes you think their breed of liars and thieves will be any better? Bro, I sympathize with our situation, but will not be a fool a second time. For ever 100 thiefs that the catholics and presbyterians have given us, there are about some fifty engineers and doctors and I think I can live with that.

[rexon]

Che Sunday,

I am not a catholic, a presbyterian or a Ngumba follower. You are the one giving the impression that all we need is the teachings of these two religions which i strongly rebuked. I am of the opinion that, religions should be tolerated in as much as they are no harm societal values. There is no way u can prove that the teachings of these two religions is enough for us. What makes you think they are enough for us? If truly they are what we actually need, what have they achieved so far? See the Ondo Ndongs, Paul Biya's, Mendo Ndze's, Agbor Tabi's, Muna's, Achidi Achu's, etc. They feel comfortable in these religions you cited. But to the best of my knowledge, they cannot stand the spirits of my religion. So whether you call it a scam or what, that is none of my business. While i have much respect for your own religion, it is also my right to ask for you to tolerate my own religion which is my life.

Blessed be.

[Mr Bond]

rexon,
no one is forcing u to be a christian, jew or wateva. "All corrupts bandits in our government were trained from those backgrounds. their colleges, Sasse, etc" what proof have you to justify this statement? massa go sleep if you no get tin fo tok.

[tayong]

Che Sunday

Lets give freedom a chance in our society.We have cried foul to political intolerance, racial intolerance, ethnic intolerance etc etc , religion should not be an exception for no reason. If these CBC faithfuls are law abiding citizens practising their religion within the limits of the law then its benign for any reasonable person not to see this rudimentary and chaotic traditions as enemies of a free society.

Secondly I dont see anywhere in this article where they're accused of baptising children, I supposed these're your preconceived prejudicial rebukes .The article says"people" not children.The CBC as I know baptizes adults who voluntarily decide to make a open statement of faith not chilcdren.

Then as if that was not rediculous enough hear the fines labelled on the church members to pay ....."Lavwir said the Ngumba ordered the church to pay a series of fines if it wished to continue operating in Mambu. The fines include 10 goats and 10 jugs of palm wine. The church was also asked to halt door-to-door evangelism. "No fines, no return of church items seized," the Ngumba declared

Che Sunday, after drinking the palmwine and eating the goats the items will be returned and the church goes back operational so by every logic they are after goats and palmwine not law and order right? Outrageous! I think the law officials should put an end to this insanity .

Who are they[Ngumba] to dictate how a church should be run if the christians abide by the law? Hear them...."The reasons the Ngumba gave for wanting the Baptist church out of the village was that the teachings of this church was not in line with the teachings of other churches in the area" Nonsense.

These goat eating fellows should be treated as the very goats they are hunting for.No sense in whatever thing they advance for their 16th Century Barbarism except appetites for goats and palmwine.Rubiish.

Hope to see how this ends, Hopes the law and order themselves dont become goat hunters as well

May God save this nation.
Che Sunday, no hard feelings
Tayong

[Epizi]

When religiousity has replace individual moral rectitude,egoism takes the stage yet with any means we want to achieve our aims. Competition between traditional lords and christian babarics is quite common where the duo strive.What a delicate matter to pronounce judgement since there is no religion that moderates the other. To my humble opinion, all we need is the ordinance of a peaceful society, and therefore any group yet on earth identify by whatever colonial or accestral dictates failing to conform to this becomes an enemy of life and natural differences as just report is evident.Now the state of law,coruded, we know comes in to usher judgement, who may be so sure if the company of law is not a block of these two groups.

As you will realise religious matters are quite hard to arbitrate and as a weapon, you can never escape from. However whether those who make life unpleasant for you are Presbyterian or Catholic:be it by their religious afiliation or alma matter, also remember you got friends to love around you from these same habour.You see it is a complicated issue to comment on.I beg to say such a matter if rightly reported must be treated through the tenet of love.Pentecostanism is very much hightlighted in this era, but it please me to say let the followers pray for more days to see the havoc it shall reign on our society given the trend it is taking within Nigeria and its neighbouring Cameroon!!!!

Epizi

[tayong]

Che Sunday
I misssed out on your controversal tongue lashing of christianity above.Hmmm. Did you listen to yourselves after writing Dr Che?Let me remind you of your words.In aswering Rexon you said...

"....If you ask me, I will take my Ngumba and quifon over any religion. These institutions gave us reason to respect legal findings, to be honorable people and God fearing"....

Che Sunday how contradictory your claims are! The same Ngumba you claimed teaches you to respect legal findings are orchestrators of barbarism and intolerance. How can Quefon teach you to be God fearing at the same time pounds on God fearers? Or is it the village god you mean?Maybe I missed it!

Again you claim ....." We bought the lies hook and line. Now a new era of liers is sweeping the country and you would have us continue tolerating them just because the product of prior liars turned out sour?

Can you substantiate you claims Sir? What is a lie? Does the witchcraft and soccery that characterise such Ngumba houses benefit the society more than the christian message of love? How many schools did the Ngumba built in your village , how many bridges did they build, how many hospitals did they build , how many children did the Ngumba help send to school?

Now you praise your Ngumba.Ok we wait for the Ngumbas to finish eating goats and drinking palmwine then by the year 4007 we shall have Ngumba Primary and Secondary Schools .And hope they will then replace Christianity with Ngumbatology.

Goodluck with the Ngumbas
Tayong

[rexon]

Mr Bond,

If you look through Che Sundays script, you will realise that he was insinuating that we need but roman catholictism and presbyterian religions. I was trying to point out to him that almost all of our failed leaders were groomed from those religions. So even with my religion, there is no guarantee that there will be a better society. What we need is to judge people from the content of their character and not from their religious affiliations.

For the proofs that these criminals were trained in religious institutions, just check their background. From Achidi, Musonge, Meoto, Njeuma, Ndeh, Ngoh, Angwafor, etc to Inoni, all them were trained in either roman catholic or presbyterian schools. It is clear that the kleptocracy is grounded on their religious heritage and members of one regime are always fighting to outsmart the others. It is no secret that SOBANS for example always envy when they loose a position to a BOBAN and they secretly struggle to win back their position and vice versa. Presently, small groupings involving other medium profile and less influential religious institutions (Secret heart, PHS kumba and Bamenda, BHS, Saker, Okoyong, Lycee Molyko Ex students, etc) in the Southern Cameroons have been working hard in their ex-student associations and cult meetings to win positions of responsibility in that kleptocratic government.

[Che Sunday]

Rexon,
Thanks for clearing the air in your last post because Tayong was firing at me from every loci imaginable. Back to the issue at hand. I am not against freedom of worship, but this particular instance begs for anyone closely associated with it to sit up and pay attention.
After reading the article, I placed a call to the village. The ruler or chief of Mambu is Wanki. He also happens to be my grand father. The individual operating this church is a secondary school teacher sent for teaching asignments in the village. He has no pastoral training as would be the case in the aforementioned religions. When he first asked for permission to start a church, he was promised a piece of land where he could build his church. He could not wait, instead, he opted to start operating in the house of a neighbor who passed away and the widow and children are left to cater for the property.
The church operates at night, (late night) and the singing and druming becomes a nuissance. The elders complained and he neither cared to have services when they are least disturbing, nor move to a location less central in the village.
That was what led Ngumba to confiscate his equipment.
The heay fines were levied because they knew he could not afford it. Its a disguised marching order. Ngumba placed a restraining order on the property, but he has ignored it. All established religions do not trample on authority as our proclaimed preacher in this instance.
When I say I will take catholicism and presbyterian teachings any time, I do not mean to infere that Islam, hindu, anglican or any other religion is of inferior standing. Ladies and gentlemen, we have to be very careful when people try using religion for ulterior motives. Our people are poor and desperate. They are vulnerable, and some of these self ordained preachers are looking for ways to augment their incomes by creating these mushroom churches. Do you think the moderator of the presbyterian church or the arch Bishop of Bamenda will allow such behavior from any of their subordinates? No. So, before you typecast me as a bigot before crucifixtion,here is my side of the story.Thanks for your patience and have a good day.