By NDI EUGENE NDI

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A Roman Catholic priest, who was kidnapped by gunmen during the weekend in the conflict-wracked Anglophone region of Cameroon, has been freed after three days in captivity, the church confirmed Thursday.

Mgr Julius Agbortoko, a Roman Catholic Priest and Vicar General of the Diocese of Mamfe in the English speaking South West region of Cameroon, was seized by boys “who identified themselves as separatist fighters” on Sunday.

“Yes, he has been freed after three days of being held captive,” Father Sebastian Sinju, Chancellor of the Diocese confirmed to Nation.Africa on phone Thursday.

In a statement on Monday, the Diocese said the kidnappers were asking for a ransom of FCFA 20 million ($36,000), to secure the Priest’s release.

However, Father Sinju said Mgr Agbortoko was released unconditionally.

“No ransom was paid to secure the release of Mgr Agbortoko. He has also confirmed that he was not mistreated by his captors,” Father Sinju explained.

Vicar General’s abduction is the latest in a series of kidnappings and attacks on the church in general and the Mamfe Diocese in particular since what started as an industrial strike by lawyers and teachers morphed into an armed conflict in 2017.

Mamfe, which is the headquarters of Manyu Division that borders Nigeria, has been the epicenter of bloody clashes between the government troops and armed separatist fighters seeking to separate the Anglophone regions of the country from the majority French speaking Cameroon.

This latest abduction took place just over three months after another priest and Communication Director of the Mamfe Diocese, Father Christopher Eboka, had been abducted.

Father Eboka had been abducted alongside his bike rider while heading to one of the Outstations of St. Joseph’s Cathedral Parish of Mamfe Diocese to preside over Pentecost Sunday Mass on May 23.

Both were released on June 1.

While some clergymen who had been kidnapped were later released, there are some who were killed by their armed captors.

In November 2018, Father Cosmas Omboto Ondari, a Mill Hill Kenyan missionary serving in the Mamfe Diocese was shot dead. Citing eyewitnesses, the then Bishop of the Mamfe Diocese, Mgr Andrew Nkea Fuanya (now Archbishop of the Bamenda Archdiocese) said the Kenyan priest was shot in front of St. Martin of Tours Parish in Kembong by Government Soldiers who were shooting randomly from their passing vehicle.