The servant of God was freed on Friday morning. On Saturday, U.S.-based Cameroonian separatist activist, Eric Tataw published a video of Cardinal Tumi in captivity.

The gunmen in Baba, Babessi subdivision, Ngoketunji Division of Cameroon’s Northwest region asked the Cardinal a lot of questions, alleging that he works for the government of Cameroon in disarming separatist fighters.

Below is a transcript of the exchanges between the erstwhile archbishop and the armed separatists.

Separatist fighter(s): Good morning The Lordship Cardinal

Cardinal Tumi: Thank you.

Separatist fighter(s): Yeah! Today is the 6^th of November 2020. I feel that, how are you doing now?

Tumi: Not badly. I feel as good as I arrived here. Although I have not eaten since yesterday. But I feel fit.

Separatist fighter(s): Okay. I hope that we did not arrest you nor kidnap you.

Tumi: I don’t think so.

Separatist fighter(s): We were at our checkpoint because we need to know who is entering our land and who is going out of our land. But unfortunately, we met you without informing us that you are coming to our territory.

Tumi: I was not coming to your territory. I was passing through.

Separatist fighter(s): Yeah! It is always our duty to be on routine checking to see that our territory is safe. We did not arrest you nor kidnap you. We pulled you out for questioning. All right? We pulled you out for questioning and we have questioned you. Is it okay?

Tumi: I am perfectly all right and I will like you to publish the results of your questioning. That will be another way of informing the government about what is happening.

Separatist fighter(s): We have not taken any ransom from you. Have we taken any money or anything for your release?

Tumi: Not a coin.

Separatist fighter(s): So, you will be going back with the message that we have given you and you know the message as we have conversed.

Tumi: Yes!

Separatist fighter(s): You as a great figure in this Southern Cameroons, that we believe. We have an allegation about you that you are the one that is creating problems with our territory. First, the fighters that are on the ground, the Ambazonian restoration forces, that you have the routine of helping them to lay down their arms to the DDR.

Tumi: All of us are fighting for peace. Even you.

Separatist fighter(s): When we heard of that and when we saw you on our routine checking, we had the opportunity to discuss with you on that. What we are saying is that we do not have proof of that. But that is what we believe that you are doing. But you are now free to go and let La Republique know that we will never lay [down] arms until our freedom comes. Because we are fighting for our rights. We are not rebels. We are not barbaric like La Republique says.  We are fighting for our rights as a people.

Tumi: I am a Cameroonian citizen like you. And I am not part of the government. I am totally independent of what I say. I am not the mouthpiece of the government. So, I am not employed by the government. When I speak, I speak like a pastor. And that I can never stop doing. If I stop doing that, I will not be faithful to God, the Almighty.

Separatist fighter(s): Okay.

Tumi: If you have done wrong, I will tell you that you have done wrong; if it is the government of La Republique that has done wrong, I will say they have done wrong.

Separatist fighter(s): And again, another allegation about you is about federation. That is the allegation that we have heard that you are fighting for federation. But, I am not saying that you should talk for our way, but this is what we are the ones fighting. We are the ones fighting.

Tumi: You are right.

Separatist fighter(s): We are not fighting for federation nor any special status, because we believe that we are a country in 1961 that we all know.

Tumi: That is your freedom.

Separatist fighter(s): Okay. Now, we are fighting for freedom. Then, you know that all our boys, according to the allegations, that you have made to lay down their arms, many of them have been killed.

Tumi: I don’t know who are those. I don’t know even one.

Separatist fighter(s): so, from today, you are, we just called you for questioning, and now you are free to go and tell the story to La Republique. Okay? May God be with you.

Tumi: Point of correction! I will preach what is the truth, and pastoral conviction, biblical conviction. And for that, I will never. Nobody has the right to tell me to preach the contrary because I was called by God.