Nigeria: Two Cameroonians Lynched after Genital Theft Claim

(Originally published in The Guardian, Nigeria)

TRAGEDY struck yesterday in Kurmi Local Government Council of Taraba State when two foreigners from the neighbouring Republic of Cameroun and a Nigerian were lynched to death by an angry mob for an alleged disappearance of a man's private organ.

The three persons were said to have been traveling in a jeep with registration number BV802AGL to Cameroun, a stone thrown from Baissa, the administrative headquarters of the council, when death came calling.

According to an eye witness account, the men, in an effort to refuel, were accosted by one Muses Umar, who claimed that his private organ was stolen by the three persons, whom The Guardian learnt were attached to one of the embassies.

The lynched persons, our source said, ran into the council police station for safety, but were hacked down to death right inside the station after all attempts by the police to disperse the irate youths failed.

Confirming the report, the state police commissioner, Aliyu Musa, gave the names of the three persons as Thomas Achotu, Joseph and Tarhamba Awuva. The driver, Tarhamba Awuva, according to The Guardian's finding, was a Nigeria from the Tiv-speaking part of the country.

Five policemen, including the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) according to the commissioner, were reported to have been seriously injured by the mob, as they attempted to rescue the victims. The police station, he said, was destroyed beyond recognition.

It would be recalled that the state has recently been filled with rumours of the disappearance of male genitals, which the police said could not be proved, except with the assistance of medical experts.

Though no single arrest had been made, the police, according to Aliyu Musa, had instituted a panel of investigation to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the ugly events.

The latest incident, which has thrown the council into dilemma, according to another eyewitness, who spoke with The Guardian on the condition of anonymity, said that "the usual free movement in and out of this country to Cameroun, will definitely be affected because, information reaching us here (Baissa and the state at large) shows that Camerounians are threatening to retaliate."

Also confirming the report, the chairman of the council, Mr. John Tobi, called on the security agents to urgently effect the arrest of the suspected youths

[NOTE: According to postings on different Cameroonian internet forums, one of the victims is actually Thomas Nchotu and not Achotu as the article states]

See also, article in The Sunday Sun

Comments

[Jam]

Rumor says...
These guys shipped stuff to Nigeria .Flew into Nigeria to claim the stuff and were driving to Cameroon.
Who ever claimed a missing genital was directly or indirectly connected to a Nigerian who was aware of their travel plans.
May thier innocent souls rest in peace ..
Jam

[Bob Bristol]

Oh what a horrible experience!!!

It is no news that Cameroonian businessmen who cannot afford to pay the neck-breaking custom duties ship their stuff to Nigeria. When they become victims of such baseless rumours, the government of Cameroon has to rethink. How can Cameroonians in the diaspora invest back home with such constraints.

Those guys have been killed by their government.

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Africans killing each other; no surprise here.

[NNOKJO MBOH JOHNSON]

SENSELESS KILLINGS SHOULD BE PUT TO CHECK IN AFRICA,AFRICAN UNION SHOULD WAKE UP FROM ITS SLUMBER.MAY THEIR INNOCENT SOULS REST IN PEACE.

[Ras Tuge]

Black man story ... always misery! What a botheration!

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Ras Tuge
and what is your great Jah going to do about the black man's misery huh?

[Ras Tuge]

Hahahahahaha! Seriously, are you the one asking me this? When Rasta disseminate the good word of the Most High, nyabinghi dem say Rasta demma religious fanatics! Nevertheless, i know that somehow Rasta shall manage to make black people to lift up their consciences and realise the urgency to start serving our Black Jah.

Your question is as easy as a glass of cool water man. Before Jah can deliver the black man, two things must first happen, notably;

Firstly, the black man must arise and assert himself, never forgetting to give due thanks with songs of praise to the Most High.

Secondly, he must submit himself to the tenets of faith as proclaimed by the Almighty Ras Tafari, thereby calling on Him with utter and unabated reverence. Jah no dead as mystery Babylon dem struggle to intoxicate the black man with falsehood. Therefore the black man must seek him with loyal passion.

The black man shall certainly see better days. Jah Guide!

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Ras Tuge
Interesting; so is Jah the supreme god of strictly black people? or is he the god of all the earth? I ask because of your white wife. If Jah serves only black people then what will happen with your inter-racial union in the after life?
Also, if Jah serves only the blacks, are you then saying that matters of religious are racial? if Jah serves all races, why he is black? is the black skin then the superior skin?

Thanks in advance for answering my questions.

[johncam]

Gibberish gibberish gibberish! The government of Cameroon cares less about the diaspora and the diaspora should care less about the government.This is just a cluster of kleptocrats

[johncam]

Should we retaliate?

[Yatah]

Thomas Nchotu is my uncle and his death has greatly impacted our family....he leaves behind many children, a wife, and others who are still in shock....
may his soul rest in peace

[Che Sunday]

With all the universities in Nigeria one would hope that such ignorance might have been dealt with with adequate literacy, but I guess not. This behavior was rampant in the 70s when I lived in the North and the many innocent people got killed. The passage of time has done nothing to change anything.
Calling for revenge will only bring Cameroonians to this lowly level of behavior. The fellow who raised the alarm of missing his genitals should have been asked to strip naked for the world to see the empty spot where his genitals had been. Well, they killed a Tiv man. Mark my word,its not Cameroonians who will be revenging. The Tivs will take care of matters.

[Facter]

I know of at least one fine gentleman who was accused of the same thing and spent literally a decade shunned by our society between Tiko and Nkambe. Word followed him everywhere he moved. We might not be as quick to lynch, but can be just as cruel in our own way for the same ignorant reasons.

[anonymous]

I don't know y on earth human being get involved in mob action soiling their hands for no good reason.The whole thing is a mess. May their gentle souls res in perfect peace and to aoid more of such Cameroon gov't should take a look at this. The family of the deceased may God be with y'all esp the nchotu's i know how much your dad means to you guys and sure hez left an impact in ur life's celebrate his life and pray for those enemies its hard but jus do it.luv u so much

[Augustine A]

It is absolutely absurd that such a tragic event is still going on. I am least surprised at the rate of such stupid causality because it is as a result from the poisonous venom of misinformity. Education as of present day is the only simplistic solution to this phenomena.

[Yomi]

Their poor families, because of backward thinking hooligans...

[Oyez]

Che Sunday sir, it is not so much the universities but the homes and the elementary and secondary schools that help to stamp our superstition. There is too much superstition in Africa.

[Frank]

BLACK IN COLOUR AND BLACK AT HEART....africans. We are just too far out of the main way. Superstitious believes making us look further scary. "disappering genitals" Where esle can this be heard other than in Africa? May the souls of those unlucky travellers rest in peace and fuck to that bastard who claimed his genitals went missing in thin air.

[Nico]

Nigeria is full of abject ignorance. Pure ignorance. You should read the same events reported on another news outlet that claims "Responsible Journalism". http://www.newnigeriannews.com/sunday/cover5.htm.
The reporter put the story out there like a story being told to a group of drunk heads at the bar with nothing relevant to take away from it. It is irreverent for anyone to look at this story and not lament Africa's disease. I am appalled at the way this was handled by authorities and I would seek retaliation if I could.
Mr Nchotu was a great community leader and teacher. All his life, he worked as a teacher, a Discipline Master at some point and taught thousands of children. He currently was a teacher at Suitland High School in the Washington DC metro area in the US. He also was Chairman of the Cameroon Catholic Community Washington DC (CCCWDC) Metro Area, presiding over visits by Cameroonian Bishops and Archbishops to the US to see the Cameroonian populace, also working to invite Cardinal Tumi at an event that saw the Church filled to capacity and a crowd the parish had never seen before. Mr. Nchotu was a great father and leaves behind 6 children and a wife. All living in the same house. His three elder kids just graduated from college(University) this May. Imagine this man worked all his life for his family and the community and some ignorant barbaric bofoon accuses him of being a conspirator to steal a sex organ? And he is savagely beaten to death? Was this ever proven? Was the person laying claim standing there without trousers or pants to show that they had just stolen his organ? Or is it that the thing just never worked properly and he was trying to blame someone for it? Come on! What is Nigeria coming to? How do you explain this to a three year old child who just started reading for the first time in her life and she asks: "Daddy, why does it seem so cruel in Africa?" You being from Africa with a child born abroad. How do you explain that to your child.
This event of course would have been preventable had the block-headed Cameroonians in charge of our economy back home dealt with this duties issue. Mr Nchotu and his friend was avoiding the excessive duties and preferred to ship his things through Nigeria, from where he picked up the car that was burned, and a bunch of other things. How inconceivable that Nigeria is a stone's throw away, that someone can take a 40 minute boat ride or flight from Nigeria to Cameroon but duties and charges to clear things at the port of these two countries vary so much? How do you make reason of this nonsense?

[John]

I may have just heard about this story last night and googled it just so i could read about it and not just believe someone elses account.It hurts me so much though i never knew the victims and i had lived in Md for over 8 years and just moved to the South of the U S.
This is very personal because i have personally done this several times with vehicles i have sold in Cameroon.
This might seem barbaric and i do have alot of Nigerian friends i love but if it is possible i would also ask for retaliation because it just makes no sense.This nonsense is common place in Africa both Cameroon and Nigeria.It is unbelievable but true that a 2004 toyota land cruiser's duty in Cameroon costs about 15 million francs CFA.But thesame car in Lagos i would pay approximately 1 million francs CFA to clear,but it does not end there when the car gets to Cameroon the guy who paid 15 million to clear he's sells at thesame price with me.Sad thing is the guy who came through Cameroon seldom makes a profit depending on the car he brings and how much he must have sank into duty.Now they don't pay much for cars anymore irrespective of their outrageous duty.
I think the Cameroonian government ought to support the children of these innocent victims at the very least.
I have personally sold a car to a so called deputy in parliament and what he paid for it i could hardly believe.We need to change our government policies and the leaders by hook or by crook i think it is high time Cameroonian in diaspora do something meaningful for ourselves and our country and i really mean that.Sometimes we have to go through some pain to have it a lot more easy for our children.I am ashamed of my country Cameroon.

[oakley outlet]

%when ghetto people say pose to. My friend told her boss he needed to give her a raise <.>