DO accused of acting ultra vires Over land

The Fako Progressive Indigenous Association, FAPIA, have accused a former Divisional Officer of Buea, Abraham Chekem, of acting ultra vires and handing community land to an individual.

In a complaint to the Chairman of the National Anti Corruption Commission, NACC, titled: “Report on the Corruption and Abuse of Power by Mr. Chekem Abraham Memouoky, the [then] Divisional Officer, Buea,” a copy of which The Post procured, the Association names many instances in which it claims the DO acted ultra vires.

The report also named chieftaincy disputes that were reportedly sparked by the administrator in a scheme for land to be conceded to inexistent villages in order to grab a huge chunk for himself.

The report came to the fore in the ongoing debate, disputes and clashes in Fako over land concessions that are made by Government to communities, but which end up being grabbed by administrators and traditional chiefs created by them. Outstanding is a dispute over a parcel of land on Signal Hill in Woteke village, part of which the community is said to have leased to Orange Cameroun to mount their antenna and, thus, open the village to the ITC world and, in turn, bring development.

The agreement of the lease was finally signed on July 14, 2008 signed in Buea, between the then Orange Cameroun General Manager, Phillippe Luxcey and the Chief of Woteke, Albert Monoko Maija.

Negotiations for the lease, however, began sometime before 2007 and on December 11, 2007, the notables and family heads (Traditional Council) of Small Soppo Woteke Berge signed an “Attestation of Ownership” which reads: “We, the undersigned Chief and Notables of Small Soppo Woteke wish to inform you that the above Soppo Woteke Berge known as Signal Hill, has not been transferred to anybody except Orange Company which has been given a parcel of land for the installation of their antenna for the interest of the Soppo Woteke Community.

Any person disturbing the peace of this village on this parcel of land is doing this at his/her own risk. In testimony whereof the present attestation has been signed to serve when and where need arises.”

The attestation was copied to the Southwest Governor, Fako SDO, Commissioner of Public Security Buea, Gendarmerie Brigade Commandant and the State Counsel Buea. The then DO of Buea, Awounfac Alienou, also acknowledged receipt of a letter from Small Soppo Woteke Chief and Notables on July 25, 2008, requesting an attestation to be delivered to Orange Cameroun for 10x10 metres to install its GSM relay station on Signal Hill.

In another petition to the SDO of Fako dated August 4, 2011, titled: “A Report on the Dubious Handing Over of our Village Shrine (Signal Hill) in Buea to one Dr. Nkemngu by the former Subdivisional Officer for Buea, Chekem Memouokyi Abraham,” the Traditional Council wrote: “We write to you under a lot of pain and total dissatisfaction at the dubious and most corrupt practices perpetrated by Mr. Chekem Memouokyi Abraham, former DO for Buea for illegally handing our village shrine (Signal Hill) in Buea to one Bangwa native Dr. Nkemngu Joseph who lives in the United States.”

The petition notes that the then SDO, Francois Bona Ebengue, in a prefectoral letter No. 3/6/G.37/C90/S/6/VOLII/SP of September 26, 2011, requested the DO to send to him justifying documents which he had used to give the land to Dr. Nkemngu, but the “DO never obeyed or reacted till he retired.” According to them, “This was a trick to play for time since he was preparing for his retirement.”

They claim Dr. Nkemngu never came to Small Soppo village to ask for that land, because such land is never sold, according to Bakweri tradition.

They, however, stated that the land had been given to one woman, Namondo Ngane, as farmland. They suspect she went behind and collected money from Dr. Nkemngu without informing the village. They said Nkemgu took them to court. “Your timely intervention in this matter will help to diffuse the tension in the village,” they prayed the SDO. It is after waiting for succour in vain that FAPIA appealed to NACC for redress.