Inside Cameroon

Some graveyards in Douala have since become no-go areas even in daylight as a result of the activities of ruffians. These days, goose pimples rise in those who dare pass by the Njo-Njo Cemetery in Bonapriso in the Douala I Council area.

The thugs, most of them homeless according to neighbours to the cemetery, seek shelter in the house-like graves during the day, taking advantage to assault passersby. They smoke and sniff harmful drugs while waiting for victims. The presence of hooligans in graveyards has scared families wishing to drop bouquets of flowers on relatives’ graves.

According to a cameraman in a renowned television station in Douala, the men of the underworld assaulted his grown-up daughter who went to pay homage on her mother’s grave in Njo-Njo Cemetery. According to neighbours, the miscreants attack passersby with machetes, rape girls, waylay motorbike riders and rob them of money, jewellery and bikes. Some of them collude with commercial bike riders who know the calibre of victims to transport. 

One of the neighbours who preferred not to be named said the cemetery robbers knock on their doors at night and even sit on their verandas during the day when they are not around. “They pick shoes and clothes left outside. As a result, we now ensure that our washed clothes and other items dry before leaving for the living room,” a nearby resident to the demolished Cité de Douanes in Bonapriso chipped in.

The unkempt nature of some graveyards, the lack of streetlights and police patrols, facilitates the activities of hoodlums. Njo-Njo Cemetery neighbours suggested that regular police patrols could salvage the situation. However, not all the cemeteries in Douala harbour criminals. Companies and neighbours to the Bonadibong Cemetery in Akwa had long understood the need for environmental sanitation. The regular cleanliness of the graveyard has reduced the incidence of assault in the area, they said.

Cameroon Tribune

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Elangwe Pauline

20.Apr.2016

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Cameroonpostline reports that the mortal remains of 76-year-old Comfort Eta, reportedly disappeared from the grave in Kumba on April 13, few hours after burial, following disagreement among family members.

While one faction of the deceased’s family buried her corpse on their Lido Street compound in Kumba, reportedly in hiding, a fight ensued among the relatives leading to the corpse being exhumed around 6.00pm the same day, by the opposing faction.

Reports hold that Eta’s remains were later ferried to the Kumba District Hospital Mortuary for preservation but the mortuary attendant objected. The corpse was then buried at the general cemetery on the instructions of the Meme Legal Department on April 14.

By Friday, April 15, one of the factions of the family reportedly marched to the office of the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, for Meme claiming that the corpse of their mother and grandmother was missing. The Post learnt that the administration redirected the family members to the Legal Department.

Speaking to reporters on April 13, while the corpse was being exhumed, one of the relatives, Akem Takor, disclosed that he had, earlier on, refilled a grave dug for the same purpose behind the compound. He stated that Eta’s grandchildren hired thugs and friends from Fiango and dug the grave inside one of the rooms overnight without his knowledge. He told reporters that Eta was sneakily buried around 2.15pm same day. 

Regarding the dispute over the compound, Akem said Eta was given the documents to the house when his father died. He stated that his father bought the land in 1973 but died in 1985 leaving behind fifteen children.

Claiming to be one of the two surviving children out of the 15, Akem faulted his aunt for failing to raise them up as per the instructions of the Chief of Takwa Village in Manyu Division. He explained that their Chief, at the time of handing over the document to the aunt, drew her attention to the fact that when the children of her brother attained maturity, they would take control of the property.

Akem lamented that, from January 2016 to early April, he requested for a meeting wherein the Chief and other relatives could discuss about the property, to no avail. He claimed that Eta and her grandchildren opposed the idea of a family meeting.

Akem inferred that Eta could not be buried in the compound because his father who owned the compound was buried at the general cemetery while the sister of the deceased also was not buried in the compound. Holding strong to his arguments by nightfall, Akem promised to abandon the corpse in front of the house for the other relatives to collect it for burial elsewhere.

On his part, Barrister Manasseh Ndip Bakwa, declared to reporters that the controversy over the compound had been longstanding.

Ndip said he grew in the same compound to know that his mother, aunt and uncle jointly acquired the property. Ndip said in the course of time, control over the property was transferred to Eta but argued that the deceased, while alive, pretended to be the sole owner of the property.

The man of law said the issue was already under investigation with the family programmed for questioning at the police on the day of the controversial burial. He said further that, Eta’s grandchildren took the matter to the Legal Department, wherein, he went and explained the intrigues.

He said the idea of burying Eta in the family compound was the decision of her grandchildren against the wish of the family. Ndip had assured reporters that the corpse was going to be buried at the general cemetery same Wednesday April 13.

Meantime, the Bafaw Traditional Council has reportedly slammed a fine of FCFA 500,000 plus three large cows on the family for desecrating the land.

Maxcel Fokwen

cameroonpostline

 

 

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Elangwe Pauline

19.Apr.2016

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The Circle of Friends of Cameroon CERAC has donated some farming tools and other equipment to the women of Momo Division of the North West Region The donations which were specifically meant for 50 groups of rural women, women empowerment centres and health institutions in the Division was made this weekend 16th April 2016 in Mbengwi the Momo Division of the North West Region.

The consignment of gifts meant for inhabitants of the four divisions- Batibo,Mbengwi, Ngie, Njikwa and Widikum, were handed at the Mbengwi Municipal Stadium, under the supervision of the First Lady’s personal representative Mrs. Linda Yang-Natinal Coordinator of CERAC. 

While handing the gifts, Mrs. Linda Yang urged beneficiaries to judiciously use the gifts which have been donated in goodwill.

The consignment of gifts include: industrial tools such as cassava, maize and garri mills, trucks, sprayers, wheelbarrows, tuber and maize fertilizers, spade hoes, carton of insecticides, axes, cassava graters,  beans, potatoes and maize  to the rural women.

Medical equipment to the health centres such as delivery beds, delivery and surgical kits, refrigerator, wheel chairs, baby’s scale, stethoscope, electrical generator, blankets, blood pressure apparatus, beds sheets and mattresses.

The association also handed sewing and zig-zag machines, a computer, printer and stabilizer to the Women Empowerment Centres of the Momo Division.

The population of Mbengwi including the Mayor - Beatrice Tebe, the Divisional Delegate of Women’s Empowerment and the Family and the Mbengwi District Medical Officer lauded the First Lady’s initiatives which to them is out to improve on the livelihood of the community.

The ceremony was graced by a royal dance from the Mbengwi Fon’s Palace and a show-case of the agricultural and handcrafts works of the Momo inhabitants.

CRTV

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Elangwe Pauline

19.Apr.2016

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The Beryla Bilingual Primary school was in disarray on Thursday 14th April 2016 as the Police stepped in to arrest a teacher accused of rape.The class six teacher of the Anglophone section of the school which is situated besides Maeture around the Rond Point Damas in the Biyam Assi neighborhood in Yaounde was denounced by one of his pupils who accused him of intimate caresses and kisses.

School authorities spoke to other young girls of the class and about eight other girls claimed to be victims of their teacher\'s mishaps. The class teacher called, Sone, was taken to the Efoulan Police Post for proper investigation. Sone has been teaching in the school for two years.

The incident has provoked fears in the minds of the parents of the pupils who for the most part have taken their children to hospital for check up and to prevent any possible infections.

CRTV

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Elangwe Pauline

18.Apr.2016

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The Gendarmes were acting on behalf of Business Magnet Baba Danpullo(Ndawara) who owns Elba Ranch,land given to him by former Fon of ESU village. The extension of the land today by danpullo has been seen by villagers as an illegal occupation and an abuse on the ESU man.

When the ESU land crisis started sometime back in February, the present Fon Kum-a-Chuo II Albert Chi stood his ground that they villagers can never allow Danpullo to expand Elba Ranch by illegally occupying 10,000 Hectares of Esu Land. The ESU land crisis brought PM Philemon Yang to the Northwest region on Saturday February 27, 2016 to broker peace.

Mr Yang told Baba Danpullo to solve the problem with Northwest administration while dialoguing with ESU Fon and his elders. During the meeting which took place at AYABA hotel in Bamenda, the prime minister had refused Baba’s plea for reinstatement of an injunction against the people of ESU ,but the business tycoon has always maintained that he has spent much money to see the land become his.

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Elangwe Pauline

16.Apr.2016

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Hervé, a 25-year-old Cameroonian man facing homosexuality charges, was set free on bail on April 13 after nine days in police custody.

His release was accomplished through the diligent work of LGBTI rights activists at Humanity First Cameroon and, in particular, the lawyers Michel Togue and Jatan Ndongo.

But both Hervé and the leaders of Humanity First remain in danger.

Hervé had been arrested by police from the Emombo district on April 4 after being entrapped by Wilfried Ella, a member of the presidential guard at the Ekounou station in Yaoundé.

Ella, who had received text messages from Hervé, lured him to a rendezvous on the pretext that Ella’s girlfriend had seen Hervé’s messages and needed to hear him assure her that Ella was not homosexual. 

Under pressure from the intensely anti-gay police commander Jean Esso, Hervé was pushed to say that he had made advances to Ella and to disclose the names of officials at Humanity First, who were Esso’s primary target.

Homophobic judge

Hervé is free but his tribulations are far from over.  

On his return home on April 13, his landlord told him he was being evicted.

The day after his release, he was called to appear at 7:30 a.m. at the trial court in Ekounou. At the hearing, his case was referred to May 12. During the hearing, he learned that the judge handling the case, Aurélie Tekam, is clearly homophobic. In open court, she did not hide her annoyance that Hervé had been released. She said he should have been kept in a cell.

 

Under Cameroonian law, homosexual activity is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Although the law as written only applies to people who are  caught in the act of same-sex relations, in practice it is often used to penalize people for being homosexual, even without evidence of any sexual activity.

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Elangwe Pauline

16.Apr.2016

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