Tragedy Ahead of Celebration: Five Die in Canoe Accident Linked to Apostle John Chi’s Church
What should have been final preparations for a milestone celebration turned into tragedy in Cameroon’s Southwest Region this week. Five young people died — four girls and one boy — when a canoe capsized off Mudeka, in the Tiko subdivision, during the night of September 22 into September 23. Seven others were injured and taken to Mbingo Baptist Hospital in Mutengene for treatment.
What happened
According to Fako Divisional Officer Viang Mekala Engelbert, who confirmed the toll in an official statement relayed by state broadcaster CRTV, the group had spent the day on John Chi Island preparing for Apostle John Chi’s 50th Jubilee celebration, scheduled for September 26. The canoe was making the crossing back to the mainland at night when it capsized. Among those confirmed dead is Bemsimbom Phinna, a Level 300 English Law student at the University of Buea, originally from Kom in Boyo County.
Local reporting indicates the church operates two canoes to ferry workers and visitors between the island and shore, and normally distributes life jackets before each trip — but that the second group reportedly departed before the first canoe returned with the jackets. Authorities have not yet announced an official cause and say an investigation is underway to establish exactly what happened.
Who is Apostle John Chi
Apostle John Chi is a well-known figure in Southwest Cameroon’s religious landscape, and a former associate of the late Nigerian prophet T.B. Joshua. He founded the Ark of God’s Covenant Ministry (AGCOM) in Buea, where he also runs a Christian broadcaster, Ark of God TV. His birthday, celebrated annually on September 26, typically draws large gatherings of followers. He was reportedly in Bafoussam on a philanthropic mission at the time of the accident.
As of publication, church leadership had not yet publicly confirmed the victims’ affiliation with Ark of God Ministries, though multiple Cameroonian outlets reported they were church members based on social media posts and preliminary accounts.
The detail that stands out most — and the one investigators will likely focus on — is that the second group reportedly left without waiting for the life jackets to come back on the first canoe. If that holds up, this becomes less a story about a freak accident and more one about a small, ordinary decision made under time pressure ahead of a big event, with devastating consequences. It’s a sober reminder of how a milestone celebration and a fatal shortcut can end up sharing the same week.
Quick facts:
- 5 dead (4 girls, 1 boy), 7 injured when a canoe capsized near Mudeka on the night of Sept. 22–23, 2026
- Victims were returning from John Chi Island after preparing for Apostle John Chi’s Sept. 26 Jubilee celebration
- Reports indicate the canoe departed before life jackets arrived from an earlier crossing
- Official cause not yet confirmed; an investigation is ongoing
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