Nine homes, mostly residential housing structures such as wooden structures, either completely or partly shattered are victims of the unnotified crackdown, Chamberlain Minyangadou, Rue Pau quarter head, told Cameroon Tribune. The illegal crackdown, says the quarter head, carried out between 4 and 6 am follows claims of ownership over 1,432 metres square of land upon which the houses were found. It is alleged that about a hundred young men heavily armed with iron bars, machetes, diggers, hammers, and ladders broke into homes, fling properties outside, threaten to inflict fatal injuries upon any protester. The result, inhabitants who were still asleep were not only awoken by the strange assault but were as well beaten out of home. Little children were forced to stand in the cool while those who filtered out sluggishly had planks, ceiling and pieces of building materials falling on them. Cases on injuries had been reported due to the marathon attack which lasted 90 minutes later.
Through concerted efforts, the aggrieved inhabitants caught Innocent Wameny, leader of the reported thugs, and handed him over to police officers of the Third Police District later that morning. Before the police arrived, the assailants had disappeared.
It is reported that the piece of land owned by one Bewekedi, was later bought over by Ndombang Emmanuel owed to the complicity of Djabité Diboundou, who grew up as a fostered child of the family. According to the quarter head, Bewekedi who was mentally disturbed before breathing his last in 2011 had the legitimate right over the family land. Foster child, Djabité Diboundou, who is alleged to have sold the piece of land for FCFA 80 million in 2007, used his mentally disturbed brother to sign the documents which yielded to delivery of a land title in 2010. Police argue that if not of the ailment it could have been impossible for Bewekedi to accept selling the family land upon which they lived and several other homes by settlers have been constructed over 50 years now. He is said to have told the police that he was hired to do the selection of the thugs with a sum of a million Francs CFA. While the inhabitants are waiting resolution following submission of the matter to the administration, there’s however, growing concern from the homeless families who must be sheltered. One of the affected families, Emmanuel, said he and his family including two kids have caught a cool having sought shelter under a mango tree and under heavy rains last Sunday/Monday night in Douala.
