Tchiroma displays ignorance of missing consignment of weapons

Government is yet to make an official statement on the disappearance of two containers of arms and weaponry destined for the Central African Republic.

The weapons vanished somewhere between the Douala seaport and Garoua-Boulai in the East Region.


Despite reports that regional governors are working with divisional and sub-divisional officers to trace the location of the containers which contained bombs, grenades, missiles, mines and other war weapons, the Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary claims he is not aware of the incident.


Hear him, “Mr. Journalist, you are the one giving me the information. The military is competent to answer such questions. If I had any such information, I would not be giving it to press; I think it is a military secret.”


The truck with license plate number, LT TR724 left the Douala port on 23, December 2014 and was awaited by the UN international peace keeping mission, MINUSCA in Central African Republic capital, Bangui. The CAR-bound weapons were from Sri Lanka.

The Centre Region Governor, Joseph Otto Wilson in a release on February 6, called on all ten Divisional Officers under his jurisdiction to treat the issue with utmost urgency, urging them to collaborate with forces of law and order in search of the containers. The governors of the East and Littoral region later made a similar call which was equally relayed by governors of the other regions.


Observers are questioning how it came to pass, that a colossal consignment of weapons would be allowed to pass through Cameroon without military escort, at a time when the country is facing security threats from Boko Haram and armed groups from the Central African Republic.


An official of one of the divisions of the Centre Region who preferred anonymity said it was the duty of the Littoral Gendarmerie Legion to provide officers to escort the cargo from the seaport to Garou-Boulai, the frontier with CAR.


Others have picked holes with governors who are reacting to a situation of such magnitude, two months late. The Cameroon customs procured modern technological equipment in 2009 that enables them to track goods crossing Cameroon in real time by GPS surveillance, especially goods being transported to Chad and CAR. However, they have remained mute in this incident.