By Doh Bertrand Nua
The macabre killings on the campus of Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy (MOFRIBA) in Fiango Kumba Saturday 24 October 2020 has been described by many as another slap on the face of Bafaw traditional custodians.
Bafaw traditional council members 'cleansing' burnt Kba hospital
This is so because members of the Bafaw Traditional Council on Saturday 2 March 2019, dished out deadly ancestral warnings to those perpetrating violence on their land in the name of the Anglophone crisis and vowed their ancestors will not allow it to happen again.
They made the warnings while performing traditional cleansings at the premises of the Kumba District Hospital after gunmen attacked the hospital on the night of 10 February breaking 11, 2020.
The attack led to four dead, destruction of five vehicles, the theatre, the nurses’ quarter, male and female surgical wards, generator room and other structures.
Nkrume Eseme Akwo Moses, Head Councillor of the Bafaw Traditional Council, vowed back then that no such act will ever happen again at the Kumba after traditional cleansing.
“Anybody who wants to try, let him try. We will not kill him but he will see for himself” Nkrume Eseme warned while expressing the disappointment of the council members and the community as a whole.
“The Bafaw have welcomed everybody to come and stay but we are really disappointed with the type of strangers we have now though we are not against anybody” he said.
Nkrume Eseme noted that, the traditional council won’t point accusing fingers on anyone but strongly believes on the powers of the Bafaw forefathers in handling the situation to prevent future atrocities.
“…what we have just done is our tradition and it takes us time to do a thing like this. That’s why when the hospital was burnt, we took our time and asked our ancestors on what to do. We don’t just sit and do things like that. We asked our ancestors on directives on what to do,” he explained.
With the warnings they dished last year it was difficult for anyone to think an attack of such magnitude could take place again in Kumba.
Paramount ruler of Bafaw in Kumba
It is not however clear if the traditional council will perform another traditional cleansing on the land after the Kumba attack.
However, Nfon Mukete IV Ekoko, Nfon of Kumba & Paramount Ruler of the Bafaw, organised an ecumenical service to pray for the repose of the souls of those murdered and to comfort affected families.
He equally sent out a message in which he regretted the attack on behalf of Bafaw people the condemned in strong terms the act which he described as “senseless” and “barbaric”.
“Over the years, Kumba has suffered its share of bad days, but today’s cold-blooded murder of innocent children, studying in a classroom, surpasses our wildest imagination of what a very bad day could be. It is a tragedy like no other the City of Kumba has witnessed in its long proud history,” partly read the Nfon’s message.
“We say a big "NO" to the perpetration of any evil acts on the soil of Kumba, no matter the reason. Evil is evil and can never be condoned in a civilized society. As a peace-loving people, there can be no justification whatsoever for this satanic act!” he added.
He prayed God for the repose of the kids and reiterated that the town will not relent in her prayers for return to calm.
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