Christians file third lawsuit against CBC Executive President.

This information was disclosed by Rev Dr Nditemeh, in a letter he sent to all Christians of the CBC at home and abroad.

The letter, a copy of which The Guardian Post has seen, is dated August 30, 2024.

It has as subject: "Additional (third) court case against CBC leadership and the CBC”.

Rev Dr Nditemeh wrote that: “In bringing fraternal salutation to you this day in the name of our omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent Lord Jesus Christ, it is my gruesome duty to inform you that a new court case (the third), has been filed in the Mezam High Court, against the CBC Executive President and the CBC”.

“This time around, the CBC Chairman has been surprisingly removed from the third suit,” Rev Dr Nditemeh informed CBC Christians. 

He added that: “The plaintiffs are the traditional plaintiffs of the preceding court case .i.e. the same three. The charges are titanic but can be well summarised as a recycling of the charges in the previous cases with alternative words and with much detail: illegality of the June 2023 Extraordinary General Elective Session, illegality of the adoption of the 2023 Constitution (by 809 delegates against 139) etc”.

The Executive President also informed the CBC Christians that the new element in the third case is “the prayer of the three plaintiffs that the court should stop the holding of the Decentralised Elective General Session in November 2024”.

“The lead lawyer of the plaintiffs remains and is verifiably reported to be a church member or worshipper of a CBC local church in a CBC Field,” Rev Dr Nditemeh wrote in the letter. 

The first hearing in the third case, it was disclosed by Rev Dr Nditemeh, is set for the same day that the adjournment of the second case was set for, Tuesday September 3, 2024. 

Rev Dr Nditemeh told the Christians in his letter that on that day him, the CBC Chairman and the CBC will answer present for the second case and he (Rev Dr Nditemeh) and the CBC, will answer present for the third case.

“We are already bracing up for the fourth case (if it may already be in preparation by the plaintiffs) with joy and thanksgiving to God,” he wrote, adding that “all these are nothing to compare with the court experiences of Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles…”.

Flashback to origin of crisis

It should be recalled that the legal tussle between some Christians of the Church, its Executive President and Chairman, stemmed from the amendment of the constitution of the Church in 2023, which did not go down well with a cross-section of CBC Christians.

Irked by what they termed a violation of the procedure to amend the constitution of the Church, some Christians decided to drag the CBC Executive President, Rev Dr Nditemeh, the Chairman, Mkong Yosimbom John, and the Cameroon Baptist Convention to court.

According to a Motion on Notice of the first case, signed by Barrister Changbuin Sanda Wilfred, Counsel for the applicants, dated April 5, 2024, a copy of which The Guardian Post stumbled on, applicants or plaintiffs were Tansah Jones Ndzi, Samuel Bongajum (both of First Baptist church, Ndu), Luma Albert (Bethany Baptist church, Buea) and Emmanuel Tantoh (of SCBC Ndu). 

Meanwhile, the defendants in the court summons were Rev. Dr. Nditemeh Charlemagne (CBC Executive President), Mkong Yosimbom John (Chairman of CBC), and the Cameroon Baptist Convention. 

Nonetheless, two of the applicants in the case, Samuel Bongajum and Emmanuel Tantoh, were later reported to have backed out of the court case, saying they were “lured and tricked” into suing the Executive President, Chairman and the Church. 

Executive President excommunicates Christians 

Meanwhile, as the saga within the Church continued to deepen, the Executive President, Rev Dr Nditemeh Charlemagne, went ahead to excommunicate the Christians who had dragged him to court. 

The Christians were Taku Jacob, Luma Albert and Emi Emmanuel.

The edict by Rev Dr Nditemeh, was contained in Decision N° CBC/EP/NCM-LCMI028/2024, dated June 15, 2024, a copy of which The Guardian Post saw. 

In the decision titled: “Concerning the membership of Taku Jacob, Luma Albert and Emi Emmanuel; throughout the Cameroon Baptist Convention”, Rev Dr Nditemeh, after quoting several instruments of the Church constitution and by-laws, ordered that: “With effect from the date of signature of this decision, Taku Jacob, Luma Albert and Emi Emmanuel's church membership is respectively forfeited, throughout the Cameroon Baptist Convention. No local church of the CBC shall admit any of them for whatsoever reason or purpose”.

“All CBC local churches, Men's Fellowship and Field Pastors are charged (each within their respective jurisdiction) with the immediate implementation of this decision,” he further stated.

The decision by Dr Rev Dr Nditemeh to excommunicate the Christian came after another he had issued April 17, 2024, in which he had prohibited Tansah Jones Ndzi and Luma Albert; respectively of First Baptist Church Ndu and Bethany Baptist Church Buea, from taking part in any leadership positions throughout the CBC.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3216 of Sunday September 01, 2024