Governor, Fon broker peace after gruesome murder in Bali

The gruesome killing took place on September 13, 2014. But the full impact of it only came up on Tuesday, September 30, when the Northwest administration effectively visited the mourning Bali people, to sooth tempers and promise some form of reparation. This was at the palace of the Fon.

The victim, a certain Divine Njinuwo, aged 27, who hails from Bali-Nyongha Subdivision in the Northwest Region, was reportedly cut down by four men from the neighbouring Ngyembo Village, as he fetched firewood on a disputed parcel of land. The four suspected assailants are currently in police custody in Bamenda, awaiting trial.

Northwest Governor, L’Afrique Lele had acted with dispatch, immediately he got wind of the murder. He dispatched troops to secure the crime area, while apparently preparing for the Tuesday, September 30, trouble shooting mission to Bali-Nyonga. Once here, his representative was told in no uncertain terms that pushed to the wall, the Balis may be left with only one option; fight back to protect themselves against those they consider as aggressors.

It was the Fon who shot out the first warning: “Sympathisers that saw this young dying man brought a Coca-Cola drink that was seized by these assailants and smashed. I want to state clearly that it was not a land dispute because they went to fetch firewood. The Bali’s were spoiling to retaliate and I have been on my feet calming them and calling for peace to reign”.

The Fon said that since he inherited the problem of this disputed area between Ngyembo and Bali in 1985, there have been sporadic skirmishes in the area and he has tried in vain to press on the administration to implement the decree, especially Article 8 that seeks to solve the problem on that border dispute. He said the Balis feel that they are not protected by the administration, because the casualties have been weighing a lot on his people.

“May be because there are some people who think they can always influence things over there in Yaounde to the disadvantage of Bali people. No, Mr. Governor’s representative, you must be informed that Article 9 says we have the right to demand for a land certificate as per that decree and I have applied over the years for this land certificate and nothing is coming out of our efforts. A lot depends on what your administration has to do; so, don’t shift it into my shoes by playing double games.

“These people, be they from Ngyembo or Bali are your people, and for your information, we have been inter-marrying and it is incumbent on the Government to ensure peace reigns by implementing this decree. The Balis do not condone war, but when people seize what is rightly ours and again beat and kill my people, they are unjustly pushing us to the wall.

If you fail to resolve this problem soonest, and the aggressors keep killing my people, I will tell you without blinking that Balis are ready to lay down their lives, since the Government can’t protect us. “How many times has Governor Lele L’Afrique promised to visit Bali and failed? At least four times that we invited him and we prepared and mobilised the population and the Governor never came, but we have seen him on TV, visiting other parts of the Region severally. What crimes have the Bali people committed?

“A powerful man maintains his anger up to a certain level, but when you keep pushing him to the wall, he will react.

“Where Divine was inflicted machete wounds was on the side of the disputed area that rightly belongs to Bali. The Fon narrated that after Njinuwo was attacked, he was taken to Mbengwi Hospital where he was shabbily treated.” But the Governor’s representative, Inspector-General, Charles Ivo Makoge, explained otherwise.

He said the Governor was held back by circumstances beyond his control and assured Fon Ganyongha that the Governor will soon visit Bali. Mkoge continued: “Many errors might have been committed down the line, but we can’t go back to those errors; so let us forge ahead in peace, without bloodshed. Tell your people to exercise patience, while lasting solutions are sought.”

A Bali indigene, Barrister Harmony Mbuton Bobga, who, incidentally is handling the matter in court, was even more forceful in the way he addressed the issue. He said by not implementing the decree, the land dispute had become a milking cow for the past and present administration who think the law courts cannot bring pressure to bear on them to resolve the problem once and for all.

“Otherwise, Sir, what do you think of your former colleague who made a scandalous statement that it is not in every case that the law is applied?” Bobga noted that since 1977, Government has invested many FCFA millions adding: “if you want to investigate how much has gone into solving this problem between Ngyembo and Bali, most of the past administrators will be jailed, because of corrupt practices. Simply put, they are white-collar thieves. The law is primordial. That is why we have transferred the matter from the field now to the law courts and if the courts in Cameroon fail us, we will take the matter to the international tribunal. No Bali man will take up arms. This matter is presently in the hands of the Examining Magistrate and we are watching.”

Family members of the deceased and those living on both sides of the disputed area, told this reporter that Divine Njinuwo’s services were hired by his tribesman who arrived the Bali side of the disputed land and they started packing logs of wood from trees that they felled two days earlier.

Just as they were about to leave, at about 2.00pm, four hefty young men from Ngyembo crossed over and descended on Njinuwo with machetes cutting him all over. After their assault, they reportedly drove Njinuwo to the Mbengwi Hospital and dumped him there. Hours later, hospital officials told the assailants to take their captive away. On their way to the Bamenda General Hospital, Njinuwo died before the family members arrived and the assailants vamoosed.

News of Njinuwo’s death spread like wild fire in Bali and the youths mobilised their war arsenals and were prepared to attack Ngyembo, but for the Fon of Bali Nyongha, Senator Dr. Fon Ganyongha III, who called for peace.