Gunmen attacked St. Mary’s Catholic Nchang Parish in Mamfe, Cameroon, last week, and set it on fire. They also abducted priests, a nun and some laypersons.

The regional body of Bishops -the Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference (BAPEC) have called on those that abducted the five Catholic priests, a religious sister and some lay persons to set them free, “without further delay.”

We learnt “with great shock and utter horror the burning down of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Nchang, Mamfe Diocese, and the abduction of five priests, one religious sister and two lay faithful by unknown gunmen, (and that they have been) taken to an unknown destination in the surrounding forests of Nchang village on the evening of 16 September 2022,” said a statement released by the Bishops.