Bamenda Archdiocese buries brutally slayed priestly candidate


The Archdiocese of Bamenda has buried Gerard Akiata Anjiangwe a young Seminarian shot dead on the 4th of October in front of the Roman Catholic Church in Bamenssing Ngoketunjia Division of the North West Region.
The heavily attended funeral at the St Joseph Metropolitan Cathedral Mankon Bamenda October 16, gave the Archbishop of Bamenda an opportunity to once again exhort the powers that be to put a definite stop to the wanton extrajudicial killings that have taken the Anglophone regions hostage.
 
Killed Seminarian in Bamessing Ndop

Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua will also note that from the moment the Anglophone crisis started in November 2016 transformed into an armed conflict, more and more innocent people have been killed on daily basis either by the military or separatist fighters.


The prelate describes the situation as “a vicious cycle of violence” because of the confrontations between the military and the “Amba Boys”.


As he preaches in an emotion packed church, the prelate notes that many have been killed by persons who are taking advantage of the situation adding that the killings are indiscriminately done with babies, youths, old women and men being gruesomely murdered.


The continuous destruction of property rendering many people homeless and refugees in and out of the country and the mass exodus of people out of the Anglophone regions for fear of wanton arrests by the military His Grace Cornelius Fontem stated that ‘human life has been desecrated” because not only are people being killed gruesomely, but “the corpses are abandoned in the streets for days to be feasted on by pigs and dogs.”


While noting that everyone shall give an account of their lives and actions, He reminded the Christians of the Biblical Commandment which states “Thou shalt not kill.”


Inspired by the day’s Gospel reading in which the sisters of Lazarus grieved over the death of their brother, the Archbishop noted that the people in the crisis regions today find themselves in a situation worse than that of Mary and Martha. “Although death is an inevitable transition which everybody must go through”, he observed that “it is sometimes difficult to accept because of the manner in which it comes.”


Gerard Akiata according to the prelate has been brutally murdered and those left behind are forced to ask many questions: “is God truly alive”? “Why did He allow this to happen”? He however assured the congregation that through his resurrection, Jesus has conquered sin and death. “The risen Christ is in our midst in the present socio-political crisis and he suffers with us in this situation”, he went on.


Talking about the fallen seminarian, Archbishop Esua said he was the first priestly candidate to have come from Konda in Njikwa Subdivision. He added that after interviewing Gerard, he was convinced the young man was a promising candidate. After reading to the congregation a portion of Gerard’s application to be admitted for priestly formation, Archbishop Esua said that although he had not been officially given a clerical dress, he decided that Gerard be buried in a soutane.


In conclusion, the Archbishop said in this moment of grief, the faithful should not lose hope but renew their faith in Christ to provide the grace to stand for justice and truth, for nothing conquers except the truth. He exhorted the congregation to pray for all those who have lost their lives as a result of the crisis and pray especially for the perpetrators of the killings.


Brief Biography
Born on the 31st of October 1998 in Konda, Njikwa Subdivision, Gerard Akiata Anjiangwe was the fourth of six children and the only son of his parents. After secondary and high school education in G.S.S Konda and St. Benedick’s College, Widikum, Gerard did a prospective year in St. Aloysius’ Minor Seminary, Kitiwum. He was to begin the Spiritual Year of Priestly formation in St. John Mary Vianney Spiritual Formation Centre, Bafut on Friday October 12, 2018. He was on pastoral work at the St. Therese’s Quasi Parish, Bamessing-Ndop while preparing to go to the Spiritual Centre. He died in the morning of Thursday October 4, 2018.
 
Gerard Akiata Anjiangwe

In a release that circulated on social media just after his gruesome murder, The Archbishop of Bamenda and His Auxiliary explained that that it was at the end of the Holy Mass, after some of the Christians had left, Gerard Anjiangwe and some readers were still in the Mission preparing for the liturgy of the following day. They were standing out of the church when a military van coming from Ndop stopped at the entrance of the road leading to the church. Some of the military alighted from the van and started shooting. Some altar servers who were returning home after the Mass ran back to the church and others to the nearby bush. The readers who were with Gerard near the sacristy, seeing the military coming, ran into the sacristy and closed the door whereas Gerard, who was still outside, prostrated on the ground while praying the rosary. The military men tried to open the Church door but did not succeed. They approached Gerard lying prostrate on the ground and asked him to stand up, which he did without hesitating. After interrogating him, he was asked to lie down again. Then he was shot three times on the neck and he died instantly.

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