Six pastors and three deacons of the Cameroon National Baptist Convention, (CNBC) who were detained on Dec. 2, have written a memo to the Northwest Attorney General, complaining of poor conditions in detention, a Cameroon-based news agency reported Thursday.
According to the Cameroon Post news agency, the Dec. 13 letter--signed by CBNC President the Rev. Ilaja Jam and all the detainees--stated that they "tasted hell on earth for over a week" in dark cells in Bamenda, the provincial capitol of Cameroon's North West Province.
The church leaders, who were released recently, said for eight days they were locked up in three gendarmerie cells, where they excreted and urinated in containers.
"After being interrogated in the Legion Commander's office in Bamenda, we were driven to three detention camps in Bamenda where there was little or no light at all, and made to sleep on bare floors," the pastors stated in the letter. "The worst thing was that no one was supposed to see or talk to us, and even our wives were driven when they visited us."
The leaders said their lawyers, too, were barred from visiting them in jail.
"We saw real hell on earth during the eight days we were in the cells for no crime committed at all," said the pastors. According to the memo, the pastors said the humiliating treatment they received was worse than treatment given to murderers.
The memo also recalled that the CBNC pastors were detained on allegations by top officials from the Cameroon Baptist Conference (CBC) and those of the Belo Field District that the breakaway CBC group, which now calls itself the CBNC, disturbed planned celebrations of the CBC 50th Anniversary in Belo, Boyo Division.
According to the 2000 International Religious Freedom Report, in November 1997, 81 of 87 churches of the CBC in the Belo Field District, in Boyo Division of Northwest Province, reportedly withdrew from the CBC and formed a new denomination--the Cameroon National Baptist Convention (CNBC).
Kenneth Chan
Ecumenical Press
-
From Tyndale to today: The enduring hunger for the Bible
-
More than 4,200 Christians killed in Nigeria this year - report
-
800 years on: Why St Francis of Assisi still captivates the world
-
Blackburn Cathedral puts the Bible where it belongs
-
Franklin Graham preaches with warning from Sodom in Manchester
-
The book that changed Sweden: 500 years of the Swedish New Testament
Most Popular
News
Televangelist Jim Bakker dies at 86
Jim Bakker, the controversial televangelist who once owned one of the most popular theme parks in the United States but later went to prison for his financial misconduct, has died at age 86.
Christian faith seen as ‘significantly more relevant’ to young people than church, new report finds
The Christian faith is perceived as “significantly more relevant to children” and young people than the church itself, according to new research which calls on churches to rethink how they engage the next generation.
Winnie-the-Pooh centenary marked with new Christian reflection resources for schools
Church schools are being invited to explore Christian values through the much-loved stories of Winnie-the-Pooh as part of new resources produced to mark the character’s 100th anniversary.
UK ranks seventh globally for daily Bible App use as searches for anxiety and hope rise
The UK has ranked seventh in the world for daily Bible App engagement, as new figures from YouVersion suggest growing numbers of people are turning to Scripture for reassurance, guidance and spiritual support.
