Postwatch (Cameroon): The assassination of the Fon of Kedjom

By Keku By Joseph Ayeah Chongsi

Kedjom Keku, popularly known as “Big Babanki,” is a tiny bourgade in Tubah Sub-Division, Mezam Division of the North West Province of Cameroon. On the 7^th of January 2004 the natives of Kedjom Keku dethroned their traditional ruler (fon), Vugah Simon II replacing him with his half brother, Vubangsi Benjamin Vutsibueng. The dethronement proper went peacefully enough but the fires smoldered between the ousted fon, the administration and the new fon.

BACK GROUND OF THE PROBLEM

Fon Vugah Simon ruled the Babanki people for 24 years. Village sources say that Fon Vugah’s tenure were 24 years of “iron rule.” The Babanki people say the fon sidelined “Kwifon,” - the highest traditional ruling body in every fondom of the North West Province and decided alone. Furthermore the fon went on a rampant sale of village land to rich grazers. Landowners whose land were grabbed and traded off became beggars. As farmlands became scare, the prices of subsistence crops like Irish potatoes, corn, vegetable, etc soared and a generalized famine resulted. Rampaging cattle from the grazers entered the remaining farmlands and savaged crops. Yet the fon took no action against his grazer friends.

Fon Vugah also traded off all traditional heirlooms and artifacts most of them the pride of the Kedjom Keku people. Furthermore, Fon Vugah came along with a rampant sexual drive and an uncontrolled libido. The man went about grabbing his neighbour’s wives and raping children as young as 13-14.

Villagers who dared complain were savaged by the fon or sent packing from the village. The massive arrest and detention of some youths in the village in 2004 was the last straw. A grazer, Alhadji Usifu Danpullo, complained about some cattle rustled. The Alhadji, in connivance with the fon, called in the police who carried out a massive arbitrary arrest of the youths.

Upon learning of the arrest of their children, the women of Kedjom Keku marched to the palace to plead with the fon to demand the release of the youths. The fon would not budge. The women then gathered at their traditional secret society house, the Fumbwen, and decided to lay siege on the palace. The siege went on for two months.

Sometime in 2004, the fon left the village to attend a court case brought by one of the grazers. Ahead of the case Kwifon had warned the fon about leaving the village to attend court cases brought by “strangers.” Kwifon insisted that should the fon leave the village he should not bother returning.

When the fon left the village his people carried out a traditional rite banning him from returning to the village.

For four months thereafter the throne of Kedjom Keku was vacant. One the 3rd of March 2004, Fon Vugah wrote to the Divisional Officer (D.O) of Tubah informing the said DO that he had resigned from the throne of Kedjom Keku. The DO informed the fon that for his resignation to have bearing it had to begin with the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization.

Kwifon then started consultation with all the villagers and also with the internal and external elites. All were unanimous that given the atrocities committed by the fon, he should be immediately dethroned and replaced.

On the 7th of June 2004, the village gathered in the palace. All the princes were asked to come out and line up for the King makers to select the next fon. Vubansi Benjamin Vutsibueng, a staff with Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in Yaounde, was chosen. Enthronement took place on the same day.