Cameroon:University of Buea research center to check cyber criminality launched

By Smart Njikang Gabriel*

In a recent report published by the U.S Cyber Security firm McAfee, it said that Cameroon is the home of the world’s riskiest internet sites. Apart from the daily activities of scammers who scare away investors from investing in Cameroon, the recent attack on the Cameroon’s Presidential website by unknown hackers stunned many in the country.

 Cameroon has been doing much to combat the cyber crimes and is determined to do more.

     Only recently the Center for Cyber Security, Cyber Defense, and Digital Forensics (CSCDDF) was launched at Mountain Hoetel, Buea by Cameroon’s Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Jean Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam,a clear indication of Government’s continued  fight against cyber criminality.

     The government-backed center, which is placed under the University of Buea, is located the P and T school in Buea.

     

Minister Biyiti Bi Essam launching  CSCDDF in Buea

During the launching, Madam Ali Joan Beri Wacka, one of the initiators of the project, said the research center shall provide training in areas such as: securing cyber space, interpretation of evidence of cyber crimes and mitigation of the effects of cyber attacks.

The center will also provide academic opportunities on cyber security and research. According to Madam Wacka, the CSCDDF is going to be one of its kinds in the Central African sub-region.

    The center will be used strictly for training, research and the enhancement of capacities.

     Professor Inch from Bloomberg University in the United States of America that is a partner institution to the project gave  a talk  on digital forensics and cyber security, noting that  the focus is on three areas-acquisition, identification and analysis of digital evidence.

      The Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Buea, Prof. Nalova Lyonga, was happy that her institution is host of such a center, conscious that there is high incidence of cyber criminality around the university.

She described the cyber research center as a public-private partnership and thanked all the partners for their contributions towards the realization of the project.

      According to the VC, in the coming years the programme will be offered as a degree course upon its endorsement by the Minister of Higher Education.

 Minister Biyiti Bi Essam says the CSCDDF is very important because the government is developing many activities in the cyber space and that it is a very timely initiative because there are a lot of projects at all levels that require the use of ICTs.He emphasized the need for people to be sensitized on the cyber crimes.

 Officials in family picture at  CSCDDFlaunch

     The CSCDDF which will be located on the campus of the National Advanced School of Post and Telecommunication will admit 25 trainees during each training session. Those eligible for training at the center are: judges, lawyers, computer scientists, programmers, professionals who work in corporations, and security officers.

     Due to the dangerous status of tools that will be used during the training, one of the criteria for selection of those to be trained will be a good knowledge of their ethical background. For now, no amount has been fixed for those who will be going for training at the CSCDDF when it goes operational.

    The partners of CSCDDF include the University of Buea, the University of Bloomberg in the U.S, and the Ministries of Justice, Defense and Post and Telecommunications.

* Smart Njikang Gabriel is a University of Buea Journalism intern

Nigeria's Buhari to visit Cameroon for talks on Boko Haram

Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari, pictured during an interview with Agence France-Presse on June 14, 2015, will travel to neighbouring Cameroon to consult with counterpart Paul Biya on Boko Haram's insurgency (AFP Photo/Mujahid Safodien)

Abuja (AFP) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to neighbouring Cameroon on Wednesday for talks with that country's President Paul Biya on combatting the regional threat from Boko Haram, Nigerian officials said.

 "President Buhari is going to Cameroon on Wednesday. He will hold talks with President Biya on arrival on Wednesday and the issue of Boko Haram will be central in their discussion," presidential spokesman Femi Adesina told AFP.

Since his inauguration on May 29, Buhari has already visited Chad and Niger, two other neighbours of Nigeria that, like Cameroon, have been targeted in cross-border attacks by the Nigeria-based jihadists.

The visit to Cameroon "aims to build a strong regional alliance to confront Boko Haram," another spokesman for Buhari, Garba Shehu, told AFP.

Shehu declined to give details on the deployment of regional troops, but insisted it "will still be at the end of this month."

A long-awaited Multi-National Joint Task Force, was due to have been operational in November.

A new commander for the 8,700-strong fighting force is expected to be named to replace its former Nigerian leader, Major General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, who was appointed earlier this month as chief of staff of Nigeria's army.

Boko Haram attacks in Chad, Cameroon and Niger have claimed dozens of lives in the past weeks.

Heavy fighting broke out Monday between the Chadian army and Boko Haram jihadists hiding out islands in Lake Chad, security and local sources said. 

"Violent clashes" took place near Baga Sola, one of the main Chadian towns in the lake that straddles Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger, a Chadian security source told AFP.

Boko Haram had earlier this month claimed responsibility for twin suicide bombings in N'Djamena that left 38 people dead, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.

Three days later, at least 15 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack at a crowded market in the Chadian capital.

Last month, military top brass from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, plus a high-level military official from Benin met in Abuja to thrash out plans to take on the fundamentalists, whose six-year campaign for a hardline Islamic caliphate has claimed at least 15,000 lives, mostly in north-east Nigeria.

The European Union (EU) on Monday expressed solidarity with the anti-Boko Haram campaign.

"Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria are sparing no effort in fighting terrorism in the region....The European Union supports the efforts for comprehensive bilateral and regional cooperation to tackle these challenges," the EU said.

Cameroon:Chief SML Endeley gone, but his legacy lives on !

By    Smart Njikang Gabriel , Kain Blessing Tung and Arrey Bate Arrey,UB Journalism Students on Internship

  Retired Chief Justice and Paramount Chief of Buea, Samuel Moka  Lifafa  Endeley ,92, who died last July 7,was on Saturday   during  a massively attended funeral service  at Bongo Square , Buea, decorated posthumously  with the Grand Cordon of the Cameroon Order of Merit, by Vice-Prime minister,  Minister-delegate in charge of Relations with the National Assembly Amadou  Ali, sitting in for  Cameroon President Paul Biya.

      The medal, which is one of the highest in the country reserved for achievers of exceptional class, was awarded to the fallen legal luminary and traditional ruler in recognition of what was variously described as his enormous contributions towards the promotion of   unity, development and justice in Cameroon.

      Chief Endeley -also called Nakuve- was officially buried on Saturday at his Mokunda Palace. But rumors kept circulating that he had days before been interred, especially as the casket was not displayed  in public during the funeral service at Bongo Square, attended by thousands of mourners from far and wide. The rumors became even stronger when the representative of the Head of State, Amadou Ali pinned the medal on the board that carried the picture of the deceased, instead of the coffin. According to some Bakweri elite, the casket of the deceased could not be displayed in public because he was not an ordinary person.

     The posthumous decoration followed a funeral mass  officiated by a college of Presbyterian  pastors led by  the Right Rev. Fonki Samuel ,Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon(PCC) and tributes  from various speakers who included the Secretary-General of the ruling CPDM, Jean Kuete and the Chief Justice of Cameroon’s  Supreme Court Daniel Mokube Sone

Pres. Biya's rep.Amadou Ali  being given mike to decorate late  Chief Endeley

      Before the funeral mass, the deceased retired Chief Justice was accorded judicial honors at the Southwest Court of Appeal in Buea, at a brief  a solemn ceremony chaired by Chief justice Bechem Eyong Oneke, president of the court. Magistrates and lawyers including the president of Cameroon bar Association Jackson Kamga filed past the casket of the deceased paying their last respects; and then the funeral convoy made a stop at Buea Mountain Club, where the late Chief Justice was prominent member, for more honors.

     In his sermon, titled “Teach us to number our days” at the Bongo Sqaure Requiem mass, the Very Rev. Dr.Nyansako Ni-Nku retired PCC Moderator who drew inspiration from Psalms 90:12, described the fallen king as a man who lived his life in the fear of the Lord.

Cross-section of dignitaries at the  Bongo Square grandstand

   According to the moderator emeritus, Nakuve was “a great patriot, and a devout Christian. He appealed to all and sundry to cultivate the spirit of forgiveness and reconcile with those they have problems with, in order to receive God’s mercy.

    Eulogizing, the representative of the Fako Elites, Senator Peter Mafany Musonge said Nakuve has left a vacuum that will be hard to fill, describing him as someone who was humble, sociable, and   very respectful.

According to Senator Musonge, the fallen hero was behind several projects aimed at enhancing the development and the empowerment of Bakweri people, such as the Fako Loans Scholarship Scheme, which enabled most of Fako children to be in great positions today. Senator Musonge regretted that Chief Endeley left them just when they are facing many challenges, but hoped that they would draw inspiration from his works.

   Speechifying on behalf of the Fako traditional rulers, Chief Njombe Njoke who is President of the Buea Chiefs Conference said the late Chief Endeley was their Chief Priest and a principled servant. He added that Nakuve was “the epitome of our ancestral values, a man who defended the sacred principles of the culture and everyone wanted his services as well as his expertise”

    Taking the floor, the President of Southwest Chief’s conference Senator Nfon Victor E. N. Mukete said the fallen hero was a man who was born great, who achieved greatness and had greatness. He commended his leadership qualities and selflessness.

Prince Ngomba Endeley (white shirt)  joins Bakweri cultural dancers

     In his tribute, the President of the Cameroon Bar Association, Batonnier Jackson Kamga saluted the legal expertise of the late Chief Justice, noting that he was very instrumental in the   creation of the Cameroon Bar Association.

    The second part of the event which was specifically for the States honors, had speeches from the Secretary General of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) Jean Nkuété, the First President of the Supreme Court , Chief Justice Daniel Mekobe Sone  who all described King Endeley as a major  nation-builder .Jean Kuete,in presenting the deceased’s political contributions ,said Chief Endeley was a major actor of the unity of the Cameroon and an ardent supporter of President Biya’s vision of transforming Cameroon into a modern country.  “We will find it hard to recover from the shock of the death of Chief Endeley”, the Secretary-General of the CPDM voiced out.

Sen. Moki congratulates Rev Dr. Nyansako-ni -Nku for his mind-searching sermon

     Describing the fallen hero’s rich legal and judicial career, Supreme Court Chief Justice Mekobe Sone noted that Chief Endeley was an impartial judge with extraordinary qualities, who will be remembered for fostering the ideals of justice in Cameroon. " He is dead but his legacy lives on", he remarked. 
    A message of condolence from the President Paul Biya and wife addressed to the Endeley’s family, was read by the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako, Mr. Zang III,in which the presidential couple described the deceased Paramount Chief as  a multi-talented, patriotic and  committed to the service of the nation.

    Nakuve’s memories will be remembered for the role he played in the border dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria and his punctual nature at each Public event. During his life time, the fallen hero occupied several positions; he was the pioneer Cameroonian Pharmacist, First Cameroon judge and chief Justice in West Cameroon, first lawyer to be appointed to the bench and the first president of the Grand Fako Section of the CPDM. Hel Moka is survived by six-children, twelve grand-children, and six great grand-children; and a host of family members to mourn him.

Chief SML Endeley:A pedestal for his kinsfolk to emulate !

By YANGANGE Martin WOSE*

HRH Chief SML Endeley

The  king  of  Buea  known also  as  Paramount  Chief  was  equally   seen  as  the  Leader  of  the  Bakweris. 

Chief SML Endeley died last July 7 at the age of 92. 

Was  he really   the  King  of  the  Bakweris?

Chief  Mbella  Sonne  Dipoko  Chief  of  Missaka  and  Cameroonian  novelist,now of  late,  said  of  him  ''...probably  the  most  popular,  the  one  who  controls  more  inhabitants  than  any  other  Bakweri  king  and  could  be  the  main  custodian  of  original  culture  of  the  Bakweri  Clan.

Born  of  Marthias  Lifafa  Endeley  and  Mariana  Mojoko  nee  Liombe  in  1924,  he  was  a  son  of  promise  just  like  his  brother  Dr.  E  M  L  Endeley.  He  had  a  fabulous  public  life  as  an  elite  pharmacist  beginning  in Kumba  which was  an  inaccessible  hinterland  at  the  time though  Health  Services  availed  him  a  brand  new  Bedford  truck  to  enable  him  go  and  take-up  duty. In  those  days  it  was  a  day's  journey  to  move  to  Kumba.

He  said  the  love  of  duty  was  stronger  than  love  for  money  so  he  travelled  from  his  post  in  Victoria  through  a  rocky  rough  terrain a  quagmire  of  a  road  with  utmost  excitement  to his  new  station. No  sooner  had  he  started  work  his  love  for  medicine  deserted  him  for  law.  He  was  later  called  to  the  Middle  Temple  Law  school London,  where  he  graduated into  another  honourable  second  profession , in  which  he  made  his  mark  becoming  a  bulwark  of  a  Court  judge.

After  a  remarkable  career  on  the  bench,  he  became  the  successor  of  his  uncle  Gervasius  Mbella  Endeley  who  reigned  for  45  years.  He  ascended  to  the  throne November  22  ,1991  after  an  interregnum  of  nine  years  and  reigned  on  the  stool  for about  24years.

While  he  worked  as  judge,  he  had  a  sociable  life  style  which  kept  him  at  ease  with  his  kith  and  kin  maintaining  a  down  to  earth  amicable  camaraderie  to  the  admiration  of  a  community  of  folks.  He  was  a  member  of  the  famous  Buea  Mountain  Club  to  which  he  drove  to  and  from  himself  putting  aside  his  administrative  position  .It  was  therefore  easy  for  his  peers  to  be  unanimous  on  his  candidature  for the  throne. His  posture  for  solidarity  with  his  people  did  not  change  with  his  honourable  positions  even  as  chairman of  BOD  for  CDC  Cameroon  Development  Corporation.  He  was  charitable  in  many  ways  and  a  number  of  orphans  earned  scholarship  because  of  his  largess.  His  wife  Gladys  Silo  Endeley  also  late  corroborated  extensively  in  this  philanthropy .  On  her  own she  decided  to  mobilize  women  towards  construction  of  the  first  dormitory  for  girls  at  PCSS , Presbyterian  Comprehensive  Secondary  School  Buea Town.

These  activities  were common  place  in  the  lives  of  both  'Mola  Sam  and  Auntie  Gladys '. The  doors  of  the  palace  were open  to  all  and  sundry  irrespective  of  tribe  and  lineage  who  had  both  access  and  a  listening  ear.

Like  the  founder  of  Hyundai  Motor  Consortium   who  used  two  pairs  of shoes  alternatively  for  30 years,  HRH  the  Chief , kept  his  Range  Rover  car going  for  upwards  of  three  decades  turning  down  offers  to  buy  or  substitute  it.

When   put  in  consideration  with  the  new  generation  of  chiefs , neophytes , some  who  have  barely  a  handful  of  subjects  to  govern  and  who  wallow  in  poverty,  they  bear  false  ungodly  trimmings,  live  in  exaggerated  affluence  and  whose  source  of  income  is  pillage  of  territory  and  cultural  patrimony  of  their  ancestors  and  the  consequence  is  that,  they    leave  their  subjects  suffocated  in  poverty  and  prodigal  in  matters  of  inheritance.

He  was  loud  and  clear  about  the  sale  of  land  which  he  described  as  abomination.  It  was  one  voice  in  the  wilderness  that  is  why,  he  who  had  the  power  ,  acclaim  ,  tools  and  jurisdiction  more  than  the  others  did  not  apply  for  land  surrender  more so  being  privy  as  chairperson  of  the  arsenal.

The  issue  of  land  misappropriation,  which  touches  on  an  incredible  list  of  both  administrative,  community  and  individual  personalities  does  not  leave  a  blemish  on  his  personality  his  periphery  of  influence  notwithstanding.

Selflessness  was  a  predominant  aspect  of  his  life.  He  loved  sports  and  had  been  chairman  of  the  Prisons  Club  in  Buea.   He  maintained  a  Christian  life  to  the  last  by  making  every  effort  to walk  up  the  slope  to  the  PCC  Buea  town  every  Sunday  to  worship  the  Almighty  God.

He  was  a  man  who  carried  the upbringing  of  humble  parents  and  a  refined  English  Education  for  his  country  that  this  generation  might  regret not  to  eschew.

*YANGANGE Martin WOSE  is a freelance journalist and  fellow, London  School  of  Journalism.