Neighbours allege repeated assault over FCFA 1,500 as gendarmes open investigation.
A pastor in Limbe, Fako Division in the South West Region, has been taken into custody following the death of a 13-year-old girl allegedly subjected to physical assault over FCFA 1,500, Laarry Times has confirmed.
BaretaNews gathered that Mbah Michael, founder of Christ Accomplishment Ministry International, was arrested on the evening of Tuesday, September 29, 2026, after neighbours alerted the Limbe Gendarmerie Brigade about the incident.
The deceased, identified as Julie Che, was a Form 3 student at Government High School Limbe. She died on Tuesday, September 29, after being rushed to the Limbe Regional Hospital.
The circumstances surrounding the girl’s death have sparked conflicting accounts. According to Yvette Che, the pastor’s wife, she discovered that 1,500 FCFA was missing from the house between Friday night and Saturday. She said she confronted Julie and beat her with a gas pipe in an attempt to get her to admit taking the money.
Yvette maintains that the girl was assaulted only on that occasion. Neighbours, however, have alleged that Julie was subjected to another beating from Monday night into Tuesday. They claim her hands were tied and that she could be heard crying and calling for help from the church compound.
The neighbours’ account led to the gendarmerie’s intervention, resulting in Pastor Mbah’s arrest. The Brigade Commander, Master Warrant Officer Ankiambom Anthony, has confirmed that the pastor was arrested and said investigations are underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.
Julie’s remains were subsequently transported to the Tiko Mortuary.
Further questions have emerged over what happened after the girl collapsed. The pastor’s wife is said to have told investigators that Julie fell into a gutter and collapsed, while also claiming that the girl had been sick.
Neighbours have disputed that explanation, insisting that they heard cries coming from the church compound.
The pastor and his wife are also alleged to have failed to promptly inform neighbours or local authorities about the girl’s death.
With Pastor Mbah still in detention, investigators are expected to establish the sequence of events leading to Julie Che’s death and determine responsibility based on the evidence gathered.
By Lucas Muma | BaretaNews
