Mob Burns Thief To Death

By Jeff Ngawe Yufenyu

An angry mob June 28 burnt one George Foncham Ngati to death at Nitob II, Azire, Mankon, Bamenda, for allegedly stealing a blending machine.The theft victim told The Post that it was the sixth time bandits were invading her home.

Bandit dumped in a pit

She said on previous occasions, the bandits made away with a radio, a television set, cell phone, money and other electrical appliances.Her home, made up of four persons, is isolated from neighbours and can easily be invaded by thieves, especially when no one is at home, she told The Post.

On this fateful day, Foncham in the company of two others arrived when no one was at home. While the two were keeping watch, Foncham did the operation in the house.
The lady, in her early 50s, told The Post that while Foncham and company had broken into her house, her daughter came out about 2 pm.

While Foncham was inside the other two noticed the daughter's presence and escaped. When she raised an alarm, Foncham bumped out of the house with the blender in a bag he also collected from the house.

The lady said Foncham escaped and hid in a nearby corn farm. Unfortunately for him, some women were in the farm. They suspected Foncham and also raised an alarm, and people of the neighbourhood came out and got hold of him.

When the bag and the blender were identified, the population fell on Foncham with clubs, stones and other available weapons.The population grew angrier when Foncham verbally threatened to revenge on those who spearheaded the assault on him.

Petrol was immediately brought and poured on him. When he was set ablaze, Foncham ran and fell into a nearby ditch of water, rubbing himself into it, with the aim of putting out the fire. All of a sudden, a vehicle tyre was dumped on Foncham.

More petrol was poured on him and a match was struck which set him and the tyre ablaze in the ditch.This ended the story as Foncham could be seen languishing and gnashing his teeth, as the heat from the fire sent the population scattering.

A young man who said he was Foncham's brother, said his family had done all it could to dissuade Foncham from stealing, in vain. The brother said he once spent two nights in a gendarmerie cell due to what he called Foncham's theft expeditions.

He said Foncham left Bali on that June 28, in the morning for Bamenda, only for the family to learn that he was involved in a theft incident and had been burnt to death.

Comments

[Mbu.B]

Postonline, you will serve us better if you place a warning sign to such images.I may not forget this sight for atleast three days.
What a horrendous act. It seems every month people are been publicly lynched in the N.W province, from Fons to thieves. And there`s always a justification for that.
This new level of jungle justice is real retarding.I should think this was a practice of the fifties.

[Klemenceau]

Mbu. B

You are right to say this is jungle justice and should be discouraged. The people take the laws into their hands and act unlawfully.
But, I say but!!!!, given the situation of Cameroon where thieves are caught red handed and taken to the police and after a few days, we see the thieves moving freely and harassing those who caught them, I think the government should be held responsible for this act of jungle justice.
Mbu. B you might be surprised to hear that most thieves in Cameroon are friends of the so called security forces. A thief sometimes will boldly tell you that nothing will be done to him if you take him to the police. Sometimes you report a case to the police and the police tell you they don't have time or they simple ignore you. Sometimes you must fuel their care if you want them to come to your rescue.
I wouldn't blame those who burn thieves. If the government don't want to see into it that these thieves are locked up when they are caught, then let the population eliminate any person caught stealing by burning. Maybe this might dissuade some other thieves. Many people live abroad and they don’t know the pains people go through back home. If your child or any of your relatives is abroad, then you are a sure target for thieves.
Shalom
Klemenceau

[julius]

I hope this serves as a deterrent to other thieves, that they should be ready to pay with their lives when they go on harrassing people in these neighborhoods. Life is already difficult for the average Cameroonian and should not be made more difficult by these thugs.

This lynching took place in my neighborhood in Bamenda and I whole heartly applaud these people in taking matters into their own hands when you have a failed state that has completely abdicated its responsibility of protecting the citizens and their belongings.
I was in Cameroon 2 weeks ago and I could not sleep in my own house for fear of drawing the attention of these thieves and opening my family up to attacks. The situation is pretty dire as my mother related how neighbor's got almost nightly visits from these armed thugs.
It is very easy to sit comfortably in the West and decry "jungle justice". Well, on your next trip to Cameroon, make it known around town that you are back and see what might happen to you. You might not be lucky to come back alive. It has happened before.

[Israel]

MOB BURNS THIEF
It is not a good scene to see and it is sad to hear that thieves loot, maime, rape and even kill innocent citizens. Visiting a family on six occasions signifies that should they stop at their port-of call and not get what they want, something else will happen, who knows, blood could flow.
Our society has reached a point where evil begets evil. Things must have gone off hand for a people to take the law into their hands. In fact it is not uncommon to see jungle justice applied anywhere at anytime.
Not an iota of confidence is still remaining on our security officers,our judiciary system, let alone the government.
Come to think of it that men of the under world visit you, rape your wife, your daughter, inflict deep wounds on you and finally deprive you of your possesion before dawn. This same gang is apprehended in another futile venture and find themselves in jail. 2 months later, you spot one of them around town. What comes to your mind? What if in your desperate situation you discover him in the hands of an irrate mob and you remember your wife and daughter were recently tested HIV possitve mmmmmmmm its jungle justice that clouds your mind.
I am not like insinuating that it be encouraged but that those porpoted to be security and judicial officials should stand up to their challenge else we arefast approaching a situation that will soon be out of hand.
lets be watchful!

[Arrey Nicholas]

I am not in any way supporting crime.But this type of justice should be discouraged. I am a forth year chemical engineering student at cape pennisula university of technology in cape town. The best student in my class was a thief who spent three years in prison. He was rehabilitated and send back to the community. Today he is having a bright future.This guy should have been arrested and handed to the police. Then the court will sentence him.And if there are good rehab centre in prison, he might one day be an engineer to serve the community. We should learn not to take the laws into our hands, because we might end up killing innocent people.How i wish these angry mobs where in south Africa. They could have tasted the taste of the law.

[Henry Alex]

pleses,the post the picture is sensitive to some of us.There are not good to be openly posted.Thanks

[AKMAN]

Before going to Cameroon, make sure you buy an asernal and ship it so that it is waiting for you before you get there. When the motherfkkkks appear just blast them to kingdom come. Citizens must have the right to bear arms because goment doing nothing. Just take the right to yourself. Buy an AK-47, 2 shot guns and two pistols and you would be ready to take down anything.

[Tita Espoir]

why is it that most bandits in the north west hail from bali?to my opinion this is very barbaric.but the justice system is to be blame for this jungle justice.because when this criminals are court and handed to officials,the bribe them and work like free men again to committ more crime.the administration should be blamed for this crimes and for the people taking the law into their hands.peace.

[Fritzane Kiki Hong Kong]

Jungle Justice has taken its rightful course.Enemies of the peace should be eradicated.Late Foncham will remember that he had upto 99 days while the owner had just 1.What is really surprising in most of these lynching incidences is that the thieves are very brave and threatening when they are under torture.This is one issue which always get the mob angry and continue their act.

I witnessed more than 6 cases of lynching recently when I was in Cameroon.But looking at what these thieves stole that they should merit such dreadful punishment at times is sorrowful and pitiful.In one case that the thief stole two fowls;a cock and hen.Yet he was burnt to ashes.The other case I was informed onother young man stole a goat yet the angry mob had no mercy for this 20 year old boy who was seriously tortured then burnt like late Foncham.

I do believe if the LRC government can take similar actions against corrupt practices,embezzlement and other misappropriations of state funds and properties by the 'nouveaux riches' and other civil servants then Biya's anti-corruption drive can achieve a resounding success.

Fritzane Kiki
Hong Kong

[kitstoff]

Jungle justice can not be more welcome in a country like Cameroon where Ministers steal and loot state funds with impunity. Directors squander state monies, police men and gendarmes sieze from poor taxi men and business men. If poor citizens have taken to protect thier property by approportioning jungle justice to thieves, it is out of frustration. Any way there is proof in most of the cases of jungle justice if this were needed. All I pray for is that any Minister or state worker named in a corruption affair should be burned alive. I will not say The pictures displayed might be horrendous, you know some of us reading and writting in this forum are just escapees of jungle justice, so it is nice to let them see what can happen to them if they are caught. let us call spades spades. This forum is not for children... period.

[Ernest Chi]

My understanding is that if justice prevails in a society and you know you can always get justice when you deserve it, then justice will meted accordingly from the right quarters!

That which is happening in Cameroon is a potenitial indicator of the uselessness and inaptitude of the judiciary system in that country and how people have lost faith in it! If i was a police, a lawyer or judge in that country i will probably be ashame to declare myself one when i read of such incidences!

Remember the Australian that set his car ablaze infront of the American embassy in Yaounde for the wrongs the judiciary in cameroon had inflicted upon him? That is what a lawless state can do to you, degenerating you into a barbarian without you knowing!

[Philip Tala]

What lessons has the system in operation in this once dear country learnt from such barbarism? When people start venting their frustration through all sorts of wrong doings, can't my illustrious comrades of the rigour and moralisation band pause for a moment and reconsider their ways for just a second? Sorry, I forgot morality in the high places was lost when the fight for the booty became too ferocious! And the international community which I think is very present in Cameroon sits still and wash their hands like Pontius Pilate. Will they raise a finger when the imminent explosion comes?
This is a country that once, everyone in it was longing and yearning and proud to be part of. A place that was recognised and respected anywhere in the world, now raped by insatiable vampires. They have even blocked and caged up people who have scraped and scraped for years to escape from the country. Or what became to the issue of passports in Cameroon? Anyway, that's an issue on its own that I wish to find a forum and raise through The Post.

Shame to you, who sits in the high places in my country and force people to become monsters! Shame to you who carry the scale and sword, the scale now heavily weighed down by corruption! Corruption that the sword was wont to slash! And now you don’t only have the likes of Foncham made human soya, but millions languishing from HIV/AIDS; frustrated by those that sit in high places. I wonder how they feel when they see pictures like Foncham's in the article. What have we become? God save us!

[mn]

the picture is indeed horrendous and i agree, it could've done with a warning sign.
crime is one thriving industry in cameroon. the sad thing is that 'mob justice' doesn't seem to deter the criminals. there's got to be more permanent solutions to these things. better government, more jobs etc will help. a lot of these kids steal because they're desperate. it's no excuse but reality.
even simpler - if AES stopped messing with the electricity supply and the councils bothered to light up streets, the thieves just might be a little bit scared.

[tboy]

Oh unemployment. see where you're leading these guys. What plan does the government got for the millions of degree holders leaving our universities on a yearly bases. Just left on their own, all to themselves pasting their old parents back home.
What a frustrating government. These Bali fellows take no nonsense of it.