Botaland villagers drag chief to court

The people of Botaland in Limbe have dragged their traditional ruler, Chief Peter Mbella Metombe, to Court for misappropriating land surrendered to them by the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC.

The Botaland community have lodged a whinge with the Examining Magistrate of the High Court of Fako, dated November 16, 2014 and titled: “Complaint of Aggravated Misappropriation of Village Land and Trespass against Chief Peter Mbella Metombe of Botaland Village.”

The complaint has been filed through the Law Offices of M. Ikome Ngongi & Co by the Botaland Village Community represented by elite and elders, namely: George Mbongo Stone, Peter Mbogo Motoma, Daniel Esingila Molongo, Cosmas Molongo, Peter Motutu Motoma, Samuel Luma, George Mbongo Mojongo, Daniel Esingila Nyao Molongo, Jonas Metutu Ekema, Daniel Mbongo Mbaka, Felix Boulendeli Molongo, Benjamin Nyao Molongo, Benjamin Nyao Molongo Junior and 236 others.

The village of over 1,000 people of which 65 percent of them are youths, accuse Chief Peter Mbella Metombe of misappropriating village property worth FCFA 100 million and pray for urgent investigation “in the best interest of justice and peace.”

In the complaint lodged at the Law Offices of M. Ikome Ngongi & Co state: “Our clients have informed us, and we verily believe them, that they applied to the Government for their ancestral land, hitherto occupied on a long term lease, by the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC, to be ceded to their community because of an increase in the population and the attendant pressure on the currently occupied village land.”

The complaint narrates that; “Sometime in the year 2013, by Government Ministerial Order of the Ministry of State Property, Lands and Surveys, some 17 ha 16a of hitherto CDC-occupied lease-hold of Fako ancestral land was returned to our client-village community of Botaland through the CDC.

Before our clients became aware of the effective return of their ancestral lands, the suspect/accused herein had applied for and obtained or established a Land Certificate over the said community land, in his personal name as if it were his personal property. He, then, started felling otherwise productive palms in at least 10 hectares of the property and partitioned same for sale to non-villagers – people unknown, nor affiliated, to the village community.”

The complaint then pleads: “We, therefore, pray you to cause urgent investigations to be carried out against the said suspect so as to help the complainants herein recover their landed property and the value of their destroyed palms from the suspect.”

The whinge further states: “During the ensuing criminal proceedings that would result from this complaint, our clients shall constitute themselves into Civil Party Claimants from the Suspect/Accused for the sum of FCFA 100 million being Special and General Damages for misappropriation and conversion.”

The 249 persons representing the Botaland community who have instructed and authorised their Counsel led by Ikomi Ngongi and comprising Barristers Harmony Bobga Mbuton, Blaise Servidzem Berinyuy and Erickson Abumbi, have all signed the complaint.

The criminal part of the matter comes up today, Monday, December 8, while the civil part of it comes up on Wednesday, December 10.