By Martin-Luther Fon Yembe in Buea
The Golden Jubilee of the frozen independence of the Southern Cameroons was commemorated in Buea last October 1, 2011 in very interesting and wonderful manner.
Southern Cameroons activists at the Nigerian consulate in Buea (c) The Recorder Newspaper
The occasion which was heavily publicized, amidst incessant arrests of activists by forces of La Republique du Cameroun (LRC) took a major turn when many Sothern Cameroonians arriving the ceremonial grund were immediately intercepted, and whisked off to the Mobile Intervention Unit in Buea.
This reported had been following up the activities of the activists and the arrivals at Mile 17, and Molyko Stadium when he suddenly espied a truck load of armed policemen speeding down to Mile 17. Sensing that the brutes were at it again, a battery of pressmen followed in a hired taxi, and saw the police arresting anyone and everyone alighting from any bus from the Kumba and Bamenda directions. Even business people who were coming to Buea for other transactions as well as militants of the SDF and APF who had scheduled their ralies at the Molyko stadium were also incarcerated.
The reporters then drove up to the residence of Mola Njoh Litumbe, the Coordinator of the Patriotic Coalition Front (PCF). It was while the pressmen were at Mola’s place that word came in that over 150 activists were already under detention at GMI. A handful of journalists then drove to the GMI area, where two of them were also detained. Meanwhile, this reporter, a member of the Communication Unit of the PCF decided to go along with 47 other activists, including an old Mama of 80, to the Nigerian Consulate. The gates of the consulate were immediately opned to receive them in. Minutes after, an assistant to the Consul General, just came in, having cut short a journey bound for Yaounde to join his compatriots in the Independence day of Nigeria. He received the verbal statements from the activists, and promised that his boss will soon be around.
It was at about 16 hopurs GMT that the Consul General Hon U.E. Akang alighted from his Diplomatic Car and greeted the Southern Cameroons activists. The leadership was called to have some briefings with him, which was done. The meeting was very cordial and the leaders, consisting of Rev. Dianghe Amos, Stephen Kongnso, Martin Yembe, Nwacham Thomas, and Feko Vincent, signed and submitted a copy of their petition to the Nigerian Government. It stressed on the Abuja High Court Ruling of March 5, 2002 calling on Nigeria to carry all Southern Cameroons issues to the International Instances of the UN, as well as never to treat the Southern Cameroons as an integral part of La Republique du Cameroun.
ENTER LRC SPIES!
Some hours later, a CENER agent ( spy) claiming to be a human rights activist came into the compound pleading with the ctivists to give up their claims and leave the compound as he had already met with the SW Governor, Koumpa Issa who has assured him that their comrades were being released. It took the intuition of the Holy Spirit for Martin Yembe to note a strange tone in the guy, and immediately declared him a spy of LRC after some findings revealed that the guy was working in the Governor’s office, and having as real names Mengueme Pierre.
ASSURACES FROM NIGERIA
All attempts at convincing the activists to quit the comound did not yield any fruits. The Consul General was obliged to stay up with the activists right through mid night. Meantime, lots of discussions went on about the truth of the Southern Cameroons story, as police officers kept guard around the compound.
The next morning, the Consular General and his collaborators came out to assure the peole that all was OK, as his government had registered the problems raised. A group thus had to move over to Mola’ place, while the rest of the leaders remained behind to assure that all the Ts were cut and the I’s dotted.
It should be noted that the Consulate took very good care of the refugees, providing them supper and breakfast. As of the time of going to press, all of them have left the premises.
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