Bernard Njonga and five others were yesterday, September 5, 2016, slammed a two-month suspended sentence for smashing hundreds of eggs in front of the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, MINEPIA on July 7, 2016. Njonga and his colleagues of the ACDIC association were protesting what they considered government’s mishandling of the Avian Influenza that broke out in the country, beginning at the Mvog-Betsi, Yaounde Poultry Farm.

Bernard Njonga, Franklin Mowha, Effila Nkou Ambroise, Mbekap Merimé Constant, Ngankeu Bertrand Collins and Tiofoue Hervé Joel, were afterwards arraigned before the Court of First Instance, Yaounde Administrative Centre, accused of organising illegal demonstrations. The judgment was passed by Mr Justice Bias Albert. After declaring the accused guilty, Mr Justice Bias suspended the court sitting before resuming several hours after to give the ruling.

While invoking mitigating substances, Defence Counsel Eveline Dounzou, pleaded with the judge to show mercy in his judgement, taking into consideration the circumstances that led the accused to commit the act. The court however sentenced Bernard Njong and co-accused to two-month imprisonment suspended sentence. Each of the accused is to pay 27,000 FCFA for court expenses.

Cameroon Tribune

Some three hundred children from Cameroon military families have received President Biya Back to School Assistance Package. The kids were predominantly from families whose dads or mums were killed in different operations in the war on terror. The donation comprising didactic materials and a financial package was handed over to the children by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defense, Joseph Beti Assomo during a ceremony at the Military Head Quarters Brigade in Yaoundé.

The Ministers of Social Affairs, Pauline Nguele, the Minister of Basic Education, Youssouf Adidja Alim and the Minister of Secondary Education, Ernest Ngale Bibehe were also present to distribute the gifts to the children some as young as three years old. Some recipients wept for their loved ones; a woman standing by two children could not hold her tears as she recalled that her 26 year old son went to the Far North region to combat Boko Haram and never returned leaving her to fend for his young widow and two children.

Also speaking was an overwhelmed mother of three who said life has not been easy since the war against Boko Haram took her husband away. She revealed that the head of state gesture was a timely relief. The representative of the children made an emotionally word of gratitude to the Head of State.

The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo reassured the beneficiaries that apart from the donations, government intends to always provide for their needs. He  urged the children to be hardworking, respectful and courageous in order to succeed in school and in life.

CRTV

It has been revealed that Cameroon’s Minister of Justice, Laurent Esso and the President and Chairman of the so called Special Criminal Court in Yaounde, Yap Abdou covered the truth and concocted some evidence in the Camair case that led to the double life sentence of Cameroonian investor, Yves Michel Fotso, who moonlighted as general manager of the national airline company.

We gathered that on May 2014, the liquidator of Camair placed at the disposal of Minister Laurent Esso and the chairman of the Special Criminal Court, Yap Abdou, facsimile of documents exonerating Yves Michel Fotso on eight of the nine charges initially made against him.

It emerged that in one of the complaint by the state of Cameroon against Yves Michel Fotso involving a total amount of 69 billion FCFA, the liquidation changed its claim to 20 billion before the investigative judge of the Special Criminal Court.

The CBC affair worth 8.657 billion FCFA, the Albatross totalling 8.934 billion CFA francs and the insurer Chanas for an amount of 482 million FCFA were the issues that remained in the Camair debts file. The amount of 1,757 billion CFA francs that was attributed to Yves Michel Fotso was fully paid later by the businessman pursuant to the protocol accord between the two parties.

The liquidator, Emile Christian Awah did explain to the legal authorities how he intended to pursue recoveries of outstanding claims from debtors.  Some internal sources have hinted that the recovering process had started like was the case of the Albatross that included the involvement of the Minister of Finance and the Presidency of the Republic.

However, despite these exculpatory and payment of the corpus delicti, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding with the civil party, Yves Michel Fotso was doubly sentenced to life imprisonment by the Cameroonian justice. There was indeed a concealment of evidence that was to the advantage of the businessman.

By Sama Ernest

Some 63 farming groups from across the South West Region have received farm inputs worth over 25million FCFA offered by the development kingpin of the region, the South West Development Authority, SOWEDA. The consignment were handed over to the beneficiary groups during a symbolic ceremony on Thursday August 25th 2016 presided over by the Secretary General to the South West Governor office, Clement Fon Ndikum in the presence of Dr. Andrew Eneme Ngome, SOWEDA General Manager.

 The farm inputs distributed included food crop production, seeds multiplication, 502 bags of fortification (50kg each), and 110 litres of liquid fertilizers, 500 litres of herbicides, 375 litres of insecticides and 600kg of foundation maize seeds. The beneficiary groups came from all the six divisions of the South West who went through a selection process supervised by the regional delegation of Agriculture and Rural development.

Dr. Andrew Eneme Ngome, SOWEDA GM reiterated that the distribution of farm inputs to farming groups has become common with the development driver, SOWEDA, and transformed into an annual event. He recounted that since the year 2008, the policy to implement resourceful activities geared towards improving on the agricultural productivity landscape in the region feature among prime objectives. The exercise has also involved the distribution of various quantities of improved planting material to the farming population, he said, continuing that through the extension services of the regional delegation of agriculture and rural development, the distribution of farm inputs to deserved farming groups in the region have intensified.

 To the Secretary General to the Governor’s office, Clement Fon, farmers must do well to maximize the advantages offered by the South West Development Authority. The farm inputs are of high breed class and will go a long way to double soil fertility so as to improve on productivity, he said. The farmers were urged to consult regularly their respective Agric posts and delegations of Agriculture and Rural Development on how to implement these improved planting materials.

Clement Fon also strongly advised farmers to plant nothing but the improved materials in order to guarantee very high yields in order to maintain the position of the South West as the bread basket of Cameroon. The Farmers expressed gratitude and promised to make good use of the farm inputs. The donation of farm inputs is timely as the farmers approach the second planting season in the South West Region.

By Cham Victor Bama

The annular phase of the solar eclipse was visible in Douala, Bamenda, Yaounde and some parts of the South West and East regions.

It was observed there as a partial solar eclipse. The Moon covers a large portion of the Sun. It was a spectacular sight hinted Cameroon Concord News Yaounde Bureau Chief, Sama Ernest.

Elements of the national gendarmerie from the Douala 2 brigade have intercepted and arrested five men of the underworld suspected to be one of the gangs instilling fear through underground operations in the city. The group was dismantled on Saturday 27 August 2016 thanks to a mission led by the commanding officer and some elements of the Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR.

Reports indicated that the notorious gang was uncovered at a club at the Akwa neighbourhood feasting after one its fruitful missions. Accordingly, their location was disclosed to the forces of law and order by a young girl believed to be one of the many victims to these wrongdoers. The girl immediately alerted the gendarmerie unit after discovering a clandestine transport car used by the five for their operations.

With this information at hand, elements of the Mobile intervention unit (GMI) in Douala 2 were immediately deployed leading to the subsequent arrest of the suspects. The members of the gang are presently behind bars at the Littoral Judicial Police Unit.

CRTV

Captain Hamadjam Hamadjam, commander of the gendarmerie company post in the Mayo-Tsanaga division was relieved of his duties and arrested late on Wednesday the 25^th of August in an operation staged by the military high command of the Far North legion.

Captain Hamadjam is currently being held at the Maroua Central Prison. A journalist with a sister publication Cameroon Intelligence Report observed that the military officer is suspected to be the leader of a criminal gang to which is attributed several armed robberies including assassinations in the Far North region.

Cameroon Concord News understands six other security officers arrested by elements of the Rapid Intervention Battalion are right now on trial. They are all believed to be part of the Captain Hamadjam gang.

By Rita Akana

President Paul Biya for several years has traveled on hired planes paid by the Cameroonian tax payer. He left Yaounde on Wednesday for a “short stay” in Europe using a lease transaction VIP aircraft that reportedly cost a fortune.

The state of Cameroon has paid a whopping sum for the hiring of air crafts for President Biya and his family.  The exorbitant cost charged reflects the VIP airplanes required by the Cameroonian chief executive.

Biya who is fond of Airbus, especially the Boeing 777-200, 767-200 and 757-200, which are among the largest commercial aircraft in the world, with special facilities including a main bedroom, suite bathroom, a presidential office, a dining / meeting room, seats in business class (50 to 60 seats), a communications center, a rest area for the crew as well as ice cream, spends billions of FCFA every year for his unproductive numerous journeys to Europe.

If we add the cost of regularly leasing of an Airbus aircraft to the subsistence cost of the presidential delegation at the Continental Hotel in Swiss- presented as the customary destination for Mr. Biya during his private visits to Europe, the expenditure for each presidential trip does not only call for anger but also hatred for the presidential couple.

By Sama Ernest with files from Cameroon-info.net

300 demands for the new national identity cards are recorded daily at the Yaounde 10^th District Public Security Station; one of the four pilot identification posts set up in the capital city to issue national identity cards under the new identification system set up by the service provider, GEMALTO.

At 10.00 am yesterday, August 22, 2016, crowds of citizens requesting new national identity cards could be seen lined up in the courtyard of the 10^th District Public Security Station in the Bastos neighbourhood. Guided each day by officers and men of the station as from 4:00 am, those seeking the national identity card for the first time or after the loss of the former, go through stages that involve writing their names on lists as they come, submitting their documents in the secretariat and proceeding to the identification posts where two computers integrated with cameras, electronic fingerprints and signature pads as well scanner-printers record details before a receipt is delivered. Notices outlining requirements and costs are pasted on walls to guide users.

“It takes just 10 minutes when the Internet connection is at its best. Out of 300 demands recorded daily, we issue at least 60 receipts,” stated the Head of the Police Station, Senior Superintendent of Police Ze née Fouda Isabelle. Despite the huge number of requests, she said operations were going on normally since the day after the August 9 2016 launch of the new system. Besides the cost per card that stands at FCFA 2,800, instead of FCFA 5,000 under the old system, users say the procedure is shorter and police officers more welcoming. “I am very satisfied,” Bogni Brondon Richard, a high school leaver from the West Region told Cameroon Tribune after receiving his receipt for his first ever identity card.

“We no longer do fingerprints with ink but use electronic machines instead. This new system will limit fraud,” said Fridoline Elomo Mvogo, a Yaounde resident who received a receipt for a new identity card after she lost the first. According to Senior Superintendent Ze Isabelle, challenges recorded so far include users’ ignorance of requirements and influence-peddling by some personalities for their acquaintances or “protégés” to be given preferential treatment.

Cameroon Tribune