SW Governor, Fako SDO, Buea Mayor under investigations

...They connived and jailed residents who attempted protest as they grabbed land under fake names in Fako

The crisis plaguing the CDC-ceded land to traditional rulers in Fako division has taken a new twist.

A crack-team of members of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, NACC, since last week arrived Fako where they are prodding into the allegations made by some stake-holders that the Buea and South West administration at large, are very much behind the land grabbing as residents remain powerless.

The delegation, since arriving Buea, the Journal gathered, has so far interrogated the Mayor of Buea, Ekema Patrick, South West regional governor, Bernard Okalai Bilai, Fako SDO, Zang III, South West regional coordinator for the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms, NCHRF, Tiku Tambe Christopher, the General Manager of CDC, Frankline Njie and others.

NACC, the Journal gathered, eventually delved into the crisis following persistent media reports and individual complaints directed to it to rescue the powerless inhabitants from the vicious land grabbing.

A local daily newspaper, The Guardian Post had few weeks to the arrival of NACC delegation to the division reported that NACC was already preparing to get those involved in the scandal probed.

The Journal is not privy to the questions posed to South West Governor and others under investigation. However, we gathered that the investigators had tough times squeezing out meaningful information from Governor Bilai and Zang, Fako SDO.

Our numerous telephone calls to the Governor yielded no fruits as the latter will not pick up his calls.

The Governor is being accused of owning several parcels of land both in Limbe and in Buea with established land certificates in his name. Residents say he abused his office by employing executive privilege to reserve for himself as many parcels of land as possible.

His collaborator, Zang III, going by Tiku Tambe is no different. Tambe had earlier told the Journal that the two civil administrators were grabbing land at a geometric progression, to the dismay of born residents who are legitimate owners of the land.

One of the members of the Bakweri Land Claims Committee, BLCC, who also doubles as the legal adviser of the committee, Barrister Ikome Ngongi told this reporter by telephone that the illegal land grabbing by the Fako administration was a serious problem to Bakweri indigenes who have been asked to go home empty handed.

Ngongi said that the Governor and the SDO in their penchant for land grabbing have violated presidential decree no. 003/08/02/1982 which prohibits civil administrators from owning land in their areas of jurisdiction.

He cited as the only exception those civil administrators who are indigenes of their areas of jurisdiction.

The lawyer did not hesitate to describe the administrators with the harshest words that could flow out of his lips "...they are thieves, they have stolen our land. They build mansions on the lands and illicitly enrich themselves..." He said.

Ngongi disclosed that the administrators are using their positions to coerce traditional rulers to sign out patches of land in their names which they later proceed to establish fake land certificates.

He regretted that such action was being perpetrated by senior government officials who supposed to models of rectitude in the society.

He revealed that for the over 1800 hectares of land that the CDC has so far surrendered to the indigenes, not up to 20% of it is owned by Bakweri indigenes.

He observed that the most annoying side of the situation is the fact that the officials upon grabbing the land proceed to sell it off to none indigenes –leaving Bakweri indigenes in the loop.

"Some indigenes who had attempted to protest action by the chief of Bota to sell of some 17.5 hectares of land surrendered by the CDC are presently gnashing their teeth in police cells after the administration aided the chief to order their arrest," the barrister disclosed.

Witch-hunting:

Meanwhile, the mayor of Buea, Patrick Ekama has described the ramifications surrounding the crisis as witch-hunting.

To Ekema, all those who are, in one way or the other, involved in the crisis have at least a parcel of land somewhere in Fako. While admitting having received the NACC delegation, Ekema declined from divulging anything he discussed with the investigators.

"I confirm having received a delegation of investigators from the National Anti-Corruption Commission, but I cannot disclose to you what we discussed because this may obstruct their free probing.” Ekema said.

All our attempts to reach the South West regional coordinator of the NHRCF, Tiku Tambe Christopher failed. His number was completely unreachable at press time.

The NACC officials, the Journal gathered are presently in Limbe in continuation of the probing which is expected to carry on to the weekend. Over a dozen officials are reported to have been probed so far.