The court's decision is based on the authenticity of the land title brandished by the Bulu traditional council over the parcel of land in Bulu – the land occupied by UB.

 “Cancellation of fraudulent land title on UB Bulu Land,” read the subject of Friday’s press release signed by Professor Ngomo Horace Manga, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buea and addressed to the university community and the general public.

His words: “The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buea hereby announces to the University Community and the general public that by Judgment No. 110/FD/2020 of 2nd September 2020, the Administrative Bench of the Supreme Court of Cameroon has cancelled Judgment No. SWAC/LSP/003/2019 of the South West Administrative Court granting Parcel of A2 (of land) that stretches from the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church to the Bulu Village Traditional Council and Others.

“Consequently, Land Certificate No. 07461 Vol. XXXVIII folio 53 of 23 February 2014 issued to the Bulu Village Traditional Council and Others on the said Parcel A2 of land has been nullified (squashed). All those trading on the University of Buea land should desist from such malpractice as intruders shall be prosecuted by law.”

The Supreme Court judgment, pundits say, will have major consequences for both past and future land cases in Fako Division. It is even more crucial given that vast portions of the said land had been allegedly sold out to individuals.

Cameroon-Info.Net recalls that on September 5, 2016, some 15 Fako Chiefs addressed a letter to the Head of State President Paul Biya requesting that he rescues them from land deals gone sour.

The traditional rulers called on President Biya to transfer over 150 hectares of the University of Buea land to them so they can use its proceeds to appease their creditors lest they are imprisoned.

14 traditional rulers heading to prison?

In the September 5, 2016 letter, the chiefs in what appeared to be a subtle threat asked President Biya to cede to them portions of the University of Buea land; else his party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM, will suffer a heavy blow.

The letter was titled: “Re: occupied CDC land surrenders and in the matter of problems occasioned and encountered by some traditional rulers within Buea subdivision”.

“It is over three years today that we applied for land surrender for our various communities through the Divisional Officer of Buea to the Senior Divisional Officer,” they wrote. They said they have each spent between FCFA 10 million and 15 million to oil the land surrender machinery.

They wondered why some of the files were transmitted to Yaoundé and others were not.

“Ironically, we realised that some of these files were transmitted to the Minister of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure, MINDCAF while others were kept behind for unexplained reasons till date.  Some of those files have been treated by the minister of MINDCAF who has issued ministerial decisions but strangely enough, there is no available land on the ground to serve the purpose of the minister’s decision,” the letter read in part.

The chiefs reported the Fako administration to President Biya, regretting that the money they spent to oil the land surrender engine had gone in vain.

“We are shocked and surprised to learn from these very authorities that the sites we were earlier shown and attributed have been allocated to other villages,” they said.

Faced with these multiple shocks and complexity in the land saga, the chiefs said they viewed the actions of State Agents as a deliberate and well-calculated ploy to extort monies from them. As such, they forwarded a complaint to the National Chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, CONAC. Regrettably, the chief said, CONAC was yet to react.

An excerpt of the letter, published at the time by The Post, read: “Today we are faced with this serious dilemma and most of us are being dragged to court since the monies we used to follow up the files were principally obtained from individuals who acted as “sponsors”. It is very essential to let you know that due to this embarrassing situation caused by the Fako Divisional Services of MINDCAF, the Traditional Ruler of Ewili village, His Majesty Ndoto Elinge is serving a nine-year jail term in the Buea prison. It is also glaring and evident that we shall also eventually be jailed for collecting monies falsely. This situation has brought about a lot of bad feelings in our villages and our populations have started agitating and viewing these acts of Government officials with a heavy heart.”

The chiefs furthered: “What impressions and image would the people of Buea municipality represent if about 14 of their traditional rulers are thrown into prison for no just cause on their part? It is worth mentioning that it goes without saying that the rural masses and the indigenes of this municipality are ardent militants and supporters of the CPDM party and the backlash of this situation may certainly have a very negative effect to our cherished party and its chairman who doubles as the President of our country.”

“Some of us were shown sites which today are being claimed by the University of Buea and from our findings, the over 150 hectares of the land purported to be the property of the University of Buea has not been regularly obtained or surrendered to them.

“The land is not being used presently and it can be transferred to us in order that we liberate ourselves from these threats of imprisonment from those persons who supported us financially in anticipation of getting some form of compensation upon the acquisition of the lands from the state. Considering that the Buea University is an integral part of the state and they don’t face any prejudice if they don’t obtain the land, it is our fervent suggestion that the state gives us (traditional rulers) the opportunity to solve our problems by obtaining the said land.

“It is in this vein and imminent risks of seeing ourselves being dragged and charged in court on charges of collecting monies under ‘false pretences’. When in fact this is not the case, that we are prayerfully craving your indulgence that as our FATHER whom we know and believe has special considerations to the Chieftaincy institution and those that incarnate it,  that you kindly cause MINDCAF to look for ways and means in resolving this very pathetic and serious matter. By so doing, we shall be saved from shame, ridicule, humiliation, and imprisonment.”