Death snatches SCNC’s Chief Ayamba

Cameroon Headlines, Buea, June 20 - The Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC separatist group has lost its leader, Chief Ayamba Ette Otun. He reportedly died, Thursday, June 18, at the Full Gospel hospital in Mamfe.

Information about the cause of his death is still sketchy, but unconfirmed sources say the Eyumodjock Chief who passed away at the age of 91, was  sick for a while.

Before Chief Ayamba’s demise, many citizens who did not know why he kept a bumpy long grey beard simply considered him a strange figure with a “frightful” beard.


Ayamba, who hails from Manyu division together with Justice Ebong, and another SCNC leader commonly called Pa Sabum, should be recalled, seized Radio Buea on December 31, 1999 and proclaimed the independence of Southern Cameroons. They were subsequently arrested at the Limbe Centenary stadium and taken to the Yaounde Kondengui prison where they spent about two years in detention.


Upon release, Justice Ebong fled to Nigeria and later to the United States on self exile. Chief Ayamba stayed and became National Chairman of SCNC. He replaced the late Dr. Martin Luma who died April, 2003. The interim Secretary General, Mbunwe Patrick was assassinated same April, 2003.

Ever since, he vowed never to shave his beard until the Southern Cameroons was completely free. But today, he is no more.

The courageous Mamfe elite had prior to his death, fought a hard leadership battle with Nfor Nfor Ngala, another diehard SCNC activist. He dies when the leadership crisis is unfortunately not yet resolved.

According to Martin Nfor Yembe, human rights activist and SDF first deputy mayor in Ndu Sub division, North West region, the battle between Ayamba and his vice president was all a misinterpretation of

action and misunderstanding of views following an Oslo meeting that called for a United Southern Cameroons Patriotic Coalition Front (PCF) that was made up of a Youth league, SCAPO, SCNC, and the Civil Societies in the struggle.

He holds that it was the designation of Mola Njoh Litumbe to handle the home front of the coalition that sparked off the fire that was to consume the leadership of SCNC and pull the struggle to a heavy but slow gear.

“As soon as Nfor Nfor started collaborating with the Front, with Mola at the head at home, Chief Ayamba’s close aides wailed wolf! They claimed and continue to claim that there was a hidden agenda to sideline Chief Ayamba and usher in Mola Njoh Litumbe.”

Lots of polemics were raised that have nothing to do with the struggle. Nfor Nfor, unwittingly accepted to take the mantle of leadership of the SCNC as National Chairman, and not only that, he alone eventually became three in one: National Chairman, Vice National Chairman and Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee.