Elvis Tah
10 October 2008
The Chairman of the Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, Chief Ayamba Ette Otun, 82, and 23 other activists were Monday, October 6, arrested and detained in Tiko.
A few of them were reportedly badly beaten, including a cameraman who sustained a broken leg.The activists, 23 men and a woman were reportedly whisked off from one James Sabum's residence in Mutengene by heavily armed soldiers comprised of a special squad from Tiko, while the activists were welcoming their Chairman from the United Nations, UN.
One of the activists, Joseph Ayuk, Precinct Chairman of Tiko Central, told The Post that the meeting was convened to welcome their Chairman and to take stock of the council's activities at the UN, 10 Downing Street, London and Brussels in Belgium.
He said their Chairman was presenting a memorandum from the UN and pictures of the October 1 celebrations in London and Brussels and the state of their struggle."While we were deliberating in Pa Sabum's residence, a contingent of policemen led by Police Commissioner, Pascal Andi, who must have been tipped off, stepped in and seized a video camera from our cameraman.
The Commissioner also barricaded the entrance to the house and called for reinforcement from a special military base in Tiko that came in a truck. They seized all of their documents, tortured, bundled the old men into the truck and drove away," said Ayuk.
The Post also gathered that when the Commissioner seized the camera, he went out and brought in two other policemen including a photographer, to shoot their pictures, but the activists stopped him. A quarrel ensued between the old men and the policemen, during which a policeman spanked one of the old men.
The Commissioner reportedly refused one of the activists from going out to relieve himself. Frustrated by the Commissioner's firmness, The Post learnt, the activist decided to piss in front of the policeman with some of the urine splashing on his (Commissioner's) trousers.
The Commissioner is said to have became furious and ordered one of his cohorts to arrest the man.
The activists said their meeting was going on just at the time when the new DO for Tiko, Augustine Awa Fonka, was being installed.They said the DO, the Brigade Commander, whose only name we got as Jean, and the Mayor of Tiko, Richard Tita Fombon, came to the scene and asked Ayamba if he had obtained permission to hold the meeting, but the Chairman told him that their meeting was not illegal and that he was simply giving the UN instructions to his militants.
Ayamba is quoted to have told the Mayor and the DO that it is rather the authorities of "La République's" government who are supposed to request for permission from the Southern Cameroons government before carrying out their activities in the Southern Cameroons region, which, according to him, is their country.
Those arrested together with Ayamba were James Sabum, 64, (National Organiser) Mathias Arrey, 59, (National Secretary) Emmanuel Fongoh, 62, (County Chairman, Victoria), Laurence Nwellem, 31, (Assistant Youth President) Sylvester Taku, 68, (Zonal Chairman) Mary Bati, Aluis Ngoe, 62, Lucas Ngoye, 59, Linus Ndikum, 70, John Babila, 62, Joseph Ndifor, 68, Wilson Fokum, 60, Fothung Agbor, 81, Jacob Sama, 70, Freeboy Acho, 62, Stephen Mbah, 56, George Tambo, 40, Moses Tindati, 36, Andrew Fokum, 45, Bless Tamfu, 55, Christian Nji, 62, Jaspa Ofon, Peter Yume 64, and Samuel Mukete, 40.
The Post learnt from a police source that some government officials monitored Ayamba's movement from the airport when he arrived, right to Mutengene, a day before the raid.
The source also said the activists are going to be charged with organising an illegal meeting, non-procession of national identification cards and insolence to government officials.
He said the activists had but foreign ID cards (Southern Cameroons ID), instead of the Republic of Cameroon national IDs.All attempts to get to Chief Ayamba failed as this Reporter was not allowed to get into the police detention facility.
Meanwhile, a "Motion on Notice" filed at the Magistrate Court, Tiko by Barrister Stanislaus Anu Ajong of the Security Law Firm, sought to move the court on Thursday, October 9, at 9am.
Anu was due then, to be seeking an order admitting the Applicants bail, pending any charges that could be preferred against them.Anu also argued that the Applicants were arrested without any warrants or document stating the reason for their arrest.That among the Applicants are 14 persons who are aged 60 and above; that they are law abiding citizens who would not jump bail and that no injustice would be caused by the grant of the application for bail.
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Mr President ,you are only waisting your time.Not even atomic energy can stop the Southern Cameroons National Council from restoring the independence of fORMWER un Trust Territory of west Cameroon.Your soldirs are as worthlerss as toilet paper because in a situation of actual war both parties loss lives.So Mr president you are not invincible.A few band of terrorist penetrated the Us security which is heavily guarded on september 11 2001 and could successfully bomb the world trade centre.So do you think Southern Cameroons
Mr President ,you are only waisting your time.Not even atomic energy can stop the Southern Cameroons National Council from restoring the independence of fORMWER un Trust Territory of west Cameroon.Your soldirs are as worthlerss as toilet paper because in a situation of actual war both parties loss lives.So Mr president you are not invincible.A few band of terrorist penetrated the Us security which is heavily guarded on september 11 2001 and could successfully bomb the world trade centre.So do you think Southern Cameroons
Mr President Biya the earlier you know that even atomic enrergy cannot stop the restoration of Southern Cameroons independence,the better for you.It is only a matter of time.You have time and again tortured and killed west Cameroonians because they are asking for their right which is founded in international law.There is a long list of those you have killed since this struggle began.The Southern Cameroons National Council does not want to resort to war as you want them to do.But you must not forget that a few individuals brought down the world trade centre in the USA.You can fool… [Read Full Text]
who are you people fooling ? " u can't eat your cake and have it " . there were times which anglophones trusted you guys ,what did you do to help them ? Nothing " Now who do you expect to listen to you after you sold out . no one can believe you guys with this your scnc stuff . You all are still acting like pupet . if you wanna show nus that you are for real action speaks louder than word . follow the hard way and take it by force… [Read Full Text]
Mr President ,you are only waisting your time.Not even atomic energy can stop the Southern Cameroons National Council from restoring the independence of fORMWER un Trust Territory of west Cameroon.Your soldirs are as worthlerss as toilet paper because in a situation of actual war both parties loss lives.So Mr president you are not invincible.A few band of terrorist penetrated the Us security which is heavily guarded on september 11 2001 and could successfully bomb the world trade centre.So do you think Southern Cameroons