Gendarmes In Search of Relatives after Macabre Machete Killings

   Bamenda Gendarmes in Manhunt for Relatives after Macabre Machete killings

The Bamenda-based Centre for Community Action on Human Rights Rehabilitation and Development, CCAHRD, and its affiliate Mbufonzak Law Firm are closely monitoring developments following a series of macabre cutlass killings involving two North West families.

On May 10, 2005, a certain Tange John Ncho (49) was found hacked to death in his farmland outside Namoh in the Nkwen area. Although the gendarmes never found the murderer, it is alleged that Tange John Ncho, reported to be a man of violent disposition, had an altercation with family members and some unknown persons (suspected to be real estate prospectors) over a piece of family land.

It is reported that Tange John was trying to trade off the land to pay school fees and the upkeep of some relatives in the United States of America. Other family members had advised against the sale of that piece of land on the grounds that the land belonged to the entire family.

Barely three months later, Tange’s brother, Tange Cletus Suh, also a farmer, was found dead in his house in Awing. The man had not reported any illness prior to his death. In fact, the neighbours reported that he was in good health and spirits the night before he croaked.

On June 16; 2006, Monica Alomba Bih, the elder sister of Tange John Ncho was found murdered on the same piece of land in Namoh. She had also been hacked to death.

Gendarme sources say they had opened investigations into the Tange Family and relations since Tange John Ncho was found murdered in 2005.

The gendarmes say they had brought in several members of the family for questioning.

CCHARD obtained from gendarmerie sources a 2005 letter purportedly written by the late Tange John Ncho warning some members living abroad of his intent to sell the family land and warning them never to return to Cameroon because they would be ‘killed by the other members of the family.’

Names of family members and relatives mentioned in the letter include; Odilia Swiri, junior sister of the late Tange John Ncho and Tange Cletus Suh; Tange Shinwin, Amumbo Joseph, etc.

The Bamenda-based Centre for Community Action on Human Rights Rehabilitation and Development, CCAHRD, and its affiliate Mbufonzak Law say that the gendarmes tortured members of the Tange family (especially Amumbo Joseph) to extract a confession from them. Since then members of the Tange family are at large.

The case received a new impetus on June 7, 2008 when the badly decomposed body of a certain Alomba Augustine Alomba was discovered not far away from the spot in Namoh where Tange John died. Augustine Alomba was married to Monica Bih Alomba.

He had also been hacked to death.

CCAHRD now says that Odilia Swiri remains the main beneficiary of all transactions regarding the contentious piece of land.

 The gendarmes have since stepped up the manhunt for members of the Tange family.

The Centre for Community Action on Human Rights Rehabilitation and Development, CCAHRD, has been visited by Gendarmes who sought to know the whereabouts of Tange Alexander, Shinwin, Odilia Swiri, etc.

 

 

I