King Abdallah sponsors surgery, edu. of conjoined twins

The Kwighe conjoint twins, Akumbu Sheavvaboh and Akumbu Sheamboh, who were called extra-ordinary creatures, a curse, monsters and almost doomed for ritual sacrifice, have at last become a blessing to the Akumbu family and the entire village of Kedjom Ketinguh fondly called Small Babanki in the North West region.

After sacrificing money and time to get the twins separated in the far off middle eastern kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Abdallah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia has continue to ensure that the now separated Siamese twins have a promising future. In this light, he has continued to carter for the medical needs and upbringing of the twins.

As for the people of Kedjom Ketinguh, a permanent Nseh Nso-born muslim scholar, Sheikh Fontem Salah Banla who had sojourned in many Islamic countries including Saudi Arabia, has been dispatched by the Saudi government to teach the Kedjom Ketinguh people the Islamic faith and doctrine. All of a sudden, there is euphoria about Islam in Kedjom Ketinguh; a community that was predominantly Baptist.

The principal of GSS Kedjom Ketinguh, Njiki told The Guardian Post that several Christians are already embracing Islam in the village as a show of appreciation to what the Saudi Arabian government has done to the conjoint twins and their community as a whole.

He added that the Saudi Arabian government has equally created an Islamic centre in Kedjom Ketinguh, a school and above all, a health centre.

Besides, this reporter gathered that the government of Saudi Arabia has made plans to tar the road to Kedjom Ketinguh passing through Bamenda.

As a sign of gratitude to the Saudi government and especially to King Abdallah, the father of the twins, James Akumbu now calls himself, “Abdallah” in addition to his original name-Akumbu James. He is now someone to reckon with in a community that almost ostracized him and his family.

Akumbu James has been able to renovate his house, giving it a facelift that leaves those who knew his former poor state spellbound. “Getting such an invaluable help and concern from the king of Saudi Arabia himself is quite historic. I will never have dreamt of seeing that beautiful country of his without these twins whom I treated at birth as a curse and burden to me,” he confessed.

As for Abdallah Akumbu James’ wife who is yet to adopt a muslim name, she is emphatic that: “If not of the eight other children we left in Cameroon, I will have pressed my husband that we settle for good in Saudi Arabia”.

Besides the couple, some villagers admitted that what they saw and treated as monstrous and a curse to their community is inversely turning out to be their light and they are ready to pay back the Saudi kingdom if the price is only their conversion to Islam.

Meantime, the director of the CBC health services, Prof. Tih Pius Muffih was at the forefront to bring the plight and helplessness of the poor parents of the twins to the attention of the national and international community.

After an abortive negotiation with the ministries of public health and social affairs to have the Siamese twins separated in either Europe, USA or South Africa, solace finally came from king Abdallah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.

Quizzed on the Akumbu’s divorce with the Baptist who were at the origin of the efforts to save the lives of the conjoint twins, Prof. Tih retorted: “No problem, the decision is personal.”