Elements of the police in Tombel have apprehended two men in possession of elephant tusk and old bones of protected primates.
The suspected wild life traffickers were arrested last Saturday in a local hotel in Tombel where the ordered items were to be handed to the supposed buyer.
The suspects were picked up while discussing with a customer who had placed an order for dry primate bones apparently to be used for massaging her children. The woman is however said to be on the run.
According to the commander of the Tombel gendarmerie post, chief warrant officer, Ngouloure Oumarou, the suspects were caught with a gorilla skull and bones, chimpanzee bones and an elephant tail.
A total of nine pieces of bones of protected animal species were found with the suspects. police officers gave their names as Divine who works as security guard and Akume Kingsley.
Akume claimed that he wasn’t a hunter and that he rather went gathering requested items from several people after receiving a special order.
According to the chief warrant officer, the seized elephant skull indicates that the butchered elephant was above 50 years old while other bones were from animals between 30 and 40 years old.
The two suspects are presently under detention in Kumba pending further investigations.
Mean time, the senior state counsel for Meme Justice Batuo Paul Akong has sounded a note of warning to all those dealing or intending to deal with protected wild life species. He promised that the strong arm of the law will be meted on them if they are found guilty after further probe.
