By Elvis Tah
 |
| Buea Mayor Charles Mbella Moki:Peace Crusader |
Calm has finally
been restored at the Buea Town neighborhood and Nigerians are now carrying out
their businesses unperturbed, after a serious crisis between the youths of that neighborhood and Nigerians paralysed commercial activities.
The crisis that rocked
the Buea Town neighborhood was finally laid to rest by the Mayor of Buea,
Charles Mbella Moki, during a crisis meeting that he convened at the council
hall.
The meeting was
attended by members of the Nigerian community in Cameroon, led by the Consular
Officer of the Nigerian Consulate in Buea, Ugochuku Onuzuike, members of the
Babuti youths, representative of the Paramount Chief of Buea, Chief Ngongi, and
members of the family who lost one of theirs in a brawl with a Nigerian, which led
to the discord.
During the
meeting, the Mayor warned the irate Buea Town youths not to take the laws into
their hands because his municipality is not a place where jungle justice
thrives.
The Mayor also
divulged the message of the Southwest Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, who gave
firm directives that at a time when Buea is preparing to host the Head of
State, he is not going to tolerate any form of lawlessness. He warned that
anybody who will be caught fomenting trouble will be brought to book.
Mbella Moki told
the Nigerians who had shut their stores for the past three days, following
threats from the irate youths that any store owned by a Nigerian that will be
found opened within the week, will be vandalised, to open up the shops and that
they will be protected by forces of law and order.
Chief Ngongi
begged the deceased’s family to accept what ever decision that government will
take concerning the burial of their son and circumvent any situation that can
add more tragedy to the already aggrieved community. He said if government
decides that the corpse should be ferried to their village in the West Region
for burial without any wake keeping at their residence, they are bound to
accept it that way because it will only be for the sake of peace.
For his part, the
head of the deceased’s family, Sebastian Misele, who is also Babuti Quarter
Head, gave assurance that he has cushioned the youths that nobody should take
the laws into his hands as their brother’s assailant is already facing the law.
Meanwhile, the
Consular Officer of the Nigerian Consulate condemned in strong terms, the homicide,
perpetrated by his compatriot.
“The Federal
Government of Nigeria doesn’t support lawless citizens. The Nigerian government
takes care of its citizens where ever they are in the world and our government
always advise its citizens in the diaspora to respect the laws of their host
countries,” Ugochuku Onuzuike said.
He added that
Cameroon and Nigeria are compelled to live together as one because there are so
many things that bind them together.
“It might
interest you to know that the assailant, Emmanuel Chuku, was born here in
Cameroon,” he said.
The trouble
between the Buea Town Youths and the Nigeria started on Saturday, May 26, during
a marital negotiation between the Misele Family and the Chuku family, which was
abortive due to a vendetta that had rocked both families. During the
negotiations which resulted into a brawl, one of the bride’s brothers, Philip
Djieuteu Misele was stabbed to death by one of the bridegroom’s brother,
Emmanuel Chuku.
The death of
Djieuteu caused irate youths of Buea Town to go berserk, attacking and
vandalising the shops of Nigerians in Buea Town, which resulted to heavy
material and human casualties.
Emmanuel Chuku,
who was also badly wounded, and some of his relatives, were arrested and
detained at the Buea Central Police Station
-The Post
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