Fon Christopher Achobang was on April 27, 2015 arrested and detained first at the gendarmerie brigade in Mbengwi in the Momo Division, Northwest Region. He was later transferred to be detained at the Mbengwi Principal Prison. Fon Achobang was only released on May 5, 2015, a month later. His bail was set for 2 million francs cfa and two sureties with land titles.
By Azore Opio
The accusations against Fon Achobang and which were read to him at the Mbengwi State Counsel’s chambers included arson, destruction and usurpation of title of human rights activist. But Achobang, who says he is actually a human rights activist was framed and wrongly arrested.
“I am involved in campaigns to stop overgrazing in Mbengwi carried out by Mbororo cattle keepers,” Achobang told The Green Vision in an interview.
“Farmers in Mbengwi lose up to 80% of their crops to stray cattle; we carried out a survey in 2013,” Achobang said. He added that the Mbororo graziers do random burning of field to cause fresh grass to germinate for their animals. ”When they do that, the fires cross into farms and burn down crops, fruit trees and oil palm trees. Sometimes houses get burnt too.”
Achobang told The Green Vision that inhabitants of a village called Nwung in Nyen, Mbengwi Sub-Division have had to move down to Guneku and elsewhere because of the loss of their property.
“Presently, more than 20 homes have been abandoned in Mbengtibat because their owners fled harassment from the Mbororo who rape, beat and even kill,” Achobang said.
According to the activist, in 2008, 25 women were beaten on a farm in Mbengtibat (Ngwunumfum) on which they had been farming for over a hundred years.
“They were beaten with Mbororo walking sticks and four of the women died afterwards,” Achobang said, “but justice if often miscarried whenever these cases are reported to the police, the legal department, the Divisional Officer. These authorities prefer bribe from the Mbororo cattle graziers.”
He said he proposed to the farmers and graziers to hold dialogues to settle damages instead of giving money to the administration.
“So far, I have settled five conflicts originating from damages where the graziers paid directly to farmers so that they continue to live in harmony,” said Achobang. He added, “The Divisional Officer for Mbengwi sees me as somebody preventing them from receiving bribe money from Mbororo graziers; he conspired with graziers who caused destruction in Njinibi to report me to the legal department.”
Achobang said the grazier was supposed to pay 750,000 francs cfa to farmers in Njinibi for damages caused by fire to their crops.
“The fire was set by the grazier to burn pasture but the fire strayed and burnt farms including a grass-thatch hut belonging to the grazier himself. Then the Divisional Officer told the grazier – Tah Peter Akum – to frame me up as if I was the one who set the fire. Then I was arraigned on April 29, 2015 with five female farmers also accused of arson. They were granted bail and I was denied bail,” said Achobang.
A fortnight after, Achobang said police interrogated him whether he is SCNC (Southern Cameroons National Council). “I do not belong to politics; I am an independent human rights activist.”
The Centre for Environment and Development (CED) in a press release, stated that the charges preferred on Achobang “seem unfounded in light of the first elements of our investigation. On the first charge, there is, following the evidence provided so far, no direct evidence of Christopher’s involvement in the fire; instead many corroborating testimonies indicate that he intervened only as a mediator to prevent clashes between the parties and attempted to find a satisfactory solution for all”.
CED adds, “Moreover, it should be stressed that the activist is accompanied by five (5) co-activists who are none other than the farmers who lost their farms in the fire; suggesting that they wilfully set fire to their own farms, thereby depriving themselves of their only means of survival … The second incrimination, on its part, seems fallacious or at least unfounded because Mr. Achobang is unambiguously a human rights activist as defined by the United Nations Declaration on human rights activists, which states thus; “a human rights activist means any person who, individually or in association with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They are identified above all by what they do, given that the list of activities is not exhaustive. A human rights activist is one who defends any fundamental right in the name of a person or group of people. Human rights activists seek to promote and protect civil and political rights and to promote, protect and implement economic, social and cultural rights.”
