Police Dismantle Gangs, Arrest 20 Members

A dragnet cast over the West, Littoral and North West Regions follows a long intelligence operation. Douala security forces have arrested 20 men who constitute members of three heavily armed gangs in the Divisions of Wouri and Moungo in the Littoral Region, Upper Nkam, Menoua, Upper Plateau and Mifi in the West Region, and Santa Subdivision in the North West Region.

Judicial Police in the economic capital, Douala, says the three criminal organisations run by Feuwo, Tanye alias Ricka and Toukam Njoknam Boudelair alias Navarro, were arrested in neighbourhoods of Bonaberi, Logbaba, Beedi, PK14 as well as in Mbanga, Loum and Manjo in the Moungo Division, and Kekem in the Upper Nkam Division, Baham in the Upper Plateau, Mbouda in the Menoua and Santa in the Santa Subdivision. Among them were fabricators and sellers of locally made pistols who were also nabbed in Santa, Mbouda and Baham.

The gang members have been linked to a series of murders, rapes and extortion rackets targeting microfinance institutions, parishes, homes, businesses and individuals. They range in age from 19 to 45 years. The crackdown was carried out on different occasions until July 16, 2013, as a result of a long intelligence operation conducted by the Judicial Police.

The hardened criminals comprised of brigands, conmen, burglars and racketeers blamed throughout the North West, West and Littoral Regions for a spike of rapes and armed robberies. Some are those who have at least once moved in and out of custody.

Gang members who were engaged in murder, drug dealing, kidnapping and smuggling of all sorts formed an organisation that trained and deployed gangsters throughout their areas of arrest, neighbouring communities and other places yet to be disclosed. Security sources revealed that about 100 complaints have been received accusing the gangs of aggravated theft, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion, criminal conspiracy and other crimes.

Some areas that have suffered effects of their criminal activity are Ngwele and Ndobo in Bonaberi, Melong and Baham, among many other places. They used pistols, knives, iron rods, guns to attack. Police have also seized weapons including 7 locally made pistols, 1 automatic pistol, 59 twelve-calibre bullets as well as 2 nine millimetre bullets.