Magistrate who ‘francophonised’ courts in Bamenda transferred

Marcel Abah Oyono, the North West Court of Appeal Attorney General who imposed the use of French language in Northwest courts, has in a Presidential decree been transferred to Adamawa region.

In what is widely being interpreted as one of the solutions being proffered by President Biya to the Anglophone Lawyers’ six months ultimatum, President Biya signed the decree Tuesday. Oyono ran into several battles with North West lawyers during his time in Bamenda for making the use of French language during court hearings mandatory.

The order didn’t return to Bamenda courts, not until the intervention of the president of the General Assembly of the Bar Association, Ntumfor Nico Halle and the president of the Bar Council, Ngnie Kamga.

But even after the issue of the use of French language during submissions in Bamenda courts was resolved, Common Law Lawyers; apparently not satisfied with the move converged on Bamenda on May 9 and issued a six-month ultimatum to Biya; warning among other things, attempts to eliminate the common law system in Cameroon.

Public opinion is rife that Tuesday’s decree; transferring Oyono and replacing him with an Anglophone, Njie Albert Nganje, is in a way trying to appease the Lawyers’ demands.

Njie Nganje, it should be recalled, was once Vice President of the North West Court of Appeal before his transfer to Adamawa as the region’s Appeal Court Attorney General.

Observers say if Biya’s decision to appoint an Anglophone as Attorney General for the North West Court of Appeal is to appease the Lawyers, then he might just have resolved the problem half way because Fako lawyers are on their third day of a strike action protesting the imposition of French language in South West courts by Francophone magistrates.

Another significant appointment of magistrates made by President Biya Tuesday was the appointment of Ngouno Justine Aimee as Attorney General of the Special Criminal Court. She replaces Emile Zephyrin Nsoga who goes on retirement amid corruption allegations. Full appointment of magistrates below.

Adamawa court of appeal

Attorney General: Marcel Abah Oyono; formerly attorney general of the North West court of appeal.

Mfoundi High Court

Deputy state counsel: Akuma Biyick Christine, 3rd grade magistrate, formerly deputy state counsel of the Yaounde magistrate court.

North Court Of Appeal

Attorney general: Essenemeu Regine, 4thgrade magistrate, formerly advocate general of the Special Criminal Court, formerly advocate general at the special criminal court.

Advocate General: Mugom Kamgoua Jean Paul; 4th grade magistrate, formerly deputy state counsel in same court.

North West Court Of Appeal

Attorney general: Njie Albert Nganje, 2ndgroup super scale magistrate, formerly attorney general of Adamawa court of appeal.

Advocate general: Taminang Ate Nyassius, formerly state counsel for Kumbo high court.

Kumbo High Court

State counsel: Shing Dom Ngong, 4th grade magistrate

Special Criminal Court

Attorney general: Ngounou Justine Aimee; second group super scale magistrate, formerly attorney general of North appeal court.