Self styled Chief invades Santa Palace, loots artifacts

A controversial self styled Fon in Santa, Akamachu -Francis Fru Wanki has wrecked havoc in Santa fon’s palace destroying artifacts and carting some away.

According to a complaint lodged at the office of the Santa DO ,On Saturday 7 June 2014, a group of armed vandals led by Francis Fru Wanki who calls himself the chief of Santa Akum, Augustine Forguh Wanki, Eric Cho Ndikum who works in the divisional office, santa, Nji Mambo, Chinje Fotum, Nchotu Chinje, Salah Bissi, Salah Thaddeus, Jean Nkemchop and others attacked, ransacked and looted the Santa palace.

Under the command of the aforementioned people royal artifacts and other priceless items were destroyed, looted or carried away. The outer reception hall of the palace and the residence of the fon were ransacked and destroyed with doors and windows broken. The traditional royal items, including the traditional cloth”ndap” dresses and the fon’s traditional regalia were taken either to Wanki Fru father’s compound, Wanki’s compound or other locations.

When the armed attack was still in process, the regent fon, Tende Boma Martin rushed to the DO’s office and residence to inform him but he was not in town. He then rushed to inform the judicial police, public security and the gendarmerie brigade in Santa. The heads of the two police services immediately rushed to the Santa Palace to witness the attack. Unfortunately the gendarmerie brigade which had the capacity to arrest armed attackers refused to intervene declaring that it could not do so without the DO’s orders.

The Santa Palace envoy also drew the attention of the DO to the fact that the attackers and their leaders are members of the Santa Akum Development Association (SADA) which the DO has received appeals on several occasions to ban because its activities threaten the peace and security of the Santa village.The group is a branch of the Akum Welfare Association (AWA) and functions to destabilize the Santa village on account of the Fon of Akum . This is contained in a complain submitted to the administration.

It was also disclosed that one of the main master-minders of the plan to launch the armed attack on the Santa palace,to destroy and loot its artifacts and traditional items is Francis Fru Wanki who calls himself chief of Santa Akum and working as a surrogate of the Fon of Akum .There were several complains in the past about the activities of the said Wanki which threaten the peace and security of Santa. The recent inscription in his compound on Santa territory that “Santa Akum palace” compounded by attackers on the Santa palace on Saturday 7 June 2014 shows that he can continue to disrespect the administration and the law with impunity.

The Santa palace told the DO that for the moment they remain peaceful, trusting that he would take urgent measures to investigate and arrest the leaders and authors of the armed attack ,bring them to book ,set an example for the public as well as show the Santa population that Cameroon is a state of law. But if the administration fails in this sphere, there will serious blood bath. The youths have won.

The rancour reportedly started when the self style fon mounted his chair as a fon to presided over a dead ceremony in his compound on that fateful day. Irate youths of Santa who know him for quest for traditional powers reportedly stormed the Said Wanki’s yard and took away the chair. In reaction, Wanki stormed the palace looking for the youths and chair.

The regent Tende Boma told Vanguard in an interview that Wanki togs stormed the palace, he told him that the youths were not in the palace that he was not aware of the incident . Unfortunately “they attacked me I ran into the palace, they followed and escaped through the fons bed room. They destroyed things break doors and made away with a lot of traditional artifacts.

He told Vanguard that Wanki is not from any royal family and he is not born of Santa. He told Vanguard that the title of “Akamacho” meaning warrior conferred on him by the Fon of his village Akum. In this regard his claims as Fon of Santa is baseless and seemingly masterminded by some hidden hands to eclipse Santa Fondom duly recognize by the presidential decree of 1992.

He said Francis Fru Wanki is an “Akamancho”, a title from the Akum palace that was given by Fon GN Ndikum. He told Vanguard that Wanki’s father who fought in the German wars settled in Santa as a hunter and ended up buying a piece of Land from a Santa elite and getting married to a Santa woman but pays allegiance to the Fon of his village Akum.

The presidential decree creating Santa subdivision on 5 October 1992 recognized five villages including Santa. The regent told vanguard that when Francis Fru Wanki started exercising power as a chief ,a complain was written against him and the DO,Diyem Jam Lawrence asked him to remove the signpost of the “fon’s palace “that he had put in his compound. The matter went to court and it is not clear how the matter was ruled against the DO, in total disrespect of the 1992 presidential decree creating the chieftaincy.

It is on note that when Vanguard contacted the DO to comment on the court decision he merely said his decision is based on the presidential decree and he waits to see how the court would rise above the presidential decree. It should be noted that the Fon of Santa, HRH Boma Hope Achiri III lives in the USA.

To go by History Santa Fondom started in 1922 with the first chief of Santa,being Chia Boma who ruled from 1922 to 1992.The second, chief Dr Alari Nikut Boma from 1982 to 2009 and since then Chief Achiri Hope Boma who lives in the USA became the next in kin .As such Francis Fru Wanki has never been a chief and does not have any palace connections. He argued.

It is alleged that all the artifacts taken from the palace were taken to the Fon of Akum’s palace, but he refused to keep them .So they are in the keeping of Francis Fru Wanki.A bloodbath now looms in the area especially as the courts have abrogated the presidential decree This reporter called Wanki severally to react to the allegations to no avail.