Catholic priest Olivier Ntsa Ebode was found dead on a railway linking the commune of Obala and the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, after being kidnapped by unknown individuals posing as parishioners.
The Vatican agency Fides reported that the body of the priest was found on 1 March, Wednesday, in Obala, located in the department of Lékié, in the central region of Cameroon.
According to local media, on Wednesday night some men arrived at Fr. Ebode’s door, saying that a relative was in very poor health and that they urgently needed his ministerial services.
The priest agreed to get into the vehicle to bring the sacraments to the unknown woman. However, he was killed on the way and then thrown onto the train tracks.
Through social networks, Fr. Georges Fabrice Ngono explained that the “murderers” “presented themselves as devotees”, stating “they had an emergency, that the mother-in-law of one of them was seriously ill and needed their services”.
The body was found at dawn and taken to the Obala funeral home, Fides said. Fides points out that the death of the priest has caused great consternation among the faithful of the Church and the local community, especially since Fr. Olivier “was known for his commitment to peace and social justice”.