The Donga-Mantung SDO’s order followed a clash between secret cult members and pastors.

Calm has now returned to Ndu in Donga Mantung Division of North West Region following the recent clash between some Baptist student pastors, Christians and members of three dreaded local secret societies, the Nwarong, Psoh and Msingong, over a controversial gospel album by Rev. Biyeh Stephen that has used secret society music.

In order to forestall any further threat to public order, the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for Donga-Mantung, Theophile Nzéki, has banned all public appearances in Ndu of masquerades of the said cults for a year. In addition, all three cult officials were ordered to pay FCFA one million to the Baptist Christians for the damage and injuries sustained in the violent confrontation.

The order makes it clear that after the lapse of the ban, local residents will no longer be obliged to stoop or give way to masquerades in public as has been the tradition. A cleansing service will also be organized in Ndu market as the land has been cursed by the incident, the SDO explained. Meanwhile, distribution in Ndu of copies of the controversial gospel CD has been suspended for six months, after which the offending portions will be edited out before distribution resumes.

According to a student pastor of the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary, CBTS, Ndu who witnessed the incident, trouble started some weeks ago when members of Nwarong placed a traditional injunction on the Mbacourt home of Abednego Nducho, a member of First Baptist Church, Ndu for his involvement in the release of the gospel CD by Rev. Stephen Biyeh, a first year Bachelor of Theology student of CBTS. Nwarong members then ordered Nducho to report at the Ndu Fon’s Palace from where they had come within five minutes. But Nducho defied the injunction and continued living in his house for about a week, organizing all-night prayers with other believers.

Irked by his attitude, Nwarong members reportedly sought reinforcement from Psoh and Msingong counterparts and prepared to go on the offensive. At about 4 pm on March 10, 2012, the Wanmabuh masquerade arrived Nducho’s home and in the ensuing confrontation, the Baptist Field Pastor for Ndu, Rev. Godfrey Mangeh was injured. Attempts to get local administrative and security officials to intervene reportedly failed as they did not turn up. When members of the three cults stormed the house at 7 pm later that evening, they met with a group of resisting praying Christians. After several attempts to curse the believers by throwing concoctions at them, the cult members later withdrew and began throwing stones at the house.

In the process, two other pastors were injured and the back windscreen of Rev. Mangeh’s service car, a Pajero jeep, was shattered. According to our source, it was the timely arrival of the SDO at about 10 pm that further violence was averted. Four arrested cult members are said to be in custody in Nkambe. As part of the peace-making measures, Rev. Mangeh was persuaded to drop plans to take the matter to court. Meanwhile, the faith of local believers is said to have been boosted by the incident as requests for the controversial gospel music keep flooding in.