Cameroon: Vatican appoints a New Apostolic Administrator to head the Bafia Diocese

The Vatican has  appointed Bishop Abraham Kome, Bishop of Bafang, as the new apostolic administrator of the diocese of Bafia.The appointment was made known to the public on

Tuesday June 6, 2017.Bishop Abraham Kome’s appointment, comes barely few days after the murder of Bishop Jean Marie Benoit Balla, whose body was found in river Sanaga, two days after his disappearance.

The autopsy of  Mgr Benoit Balla indicates that he was tortured, one of his hands was mutilated and his genital organs were removed and it appears his body was electrocuted. The French daily newspaper, L'Anecdote and France-based RFI, quoted the final autopsy report as stating that the corpse of Mgr Balla was in the Sanaga river for no longer than four (4) hours, even though the corpse was found three days after he disappeared. This confirms accounts by villagers of Tsang, who reported hearing the roaring sound of an helicopter in the wee hours of Friday morning hovering over the river around the area where the corpse was recovered.

The autopsy cited the physical state of the corpse; the absence of water in his lungs; amongst others contradicts possibility of suicide by drowning especially as the corpse was found floating. The autopsy was performed by a college of medics comprising two professors of medicines; three specialist doctors and one specialist designated by Archbishop Kleda, President of the National Episcopal Council. Now that the autopsy report is out, the question remains: who killed Mgr Balla and why? Accusing fingers are pointing to the anus-expanding fraternity that controls the seat of power in Etoudi.

Biography of Bishop Abraham KOME

Born on July 2, 1969 in Loum, in the Littoral region of Cameroon and originating from the department of Mbam and Inoubou in the central region, Bishop Abraham KOME was christened on May 26, 2012 as the Bishop of the recently created diocese Of Bafang in the Western Region of Cameroon.

After his primary and secondary education at ST. Peter and Paul College in Loum, he was admitted into the seminary and was ordained priest on December 11, 1999 in Nkongsamba.