Tiko Land Crises Saga: 352 Applicants on state land in Tiko still await Minister’s authorisation!

While waiting on the approval of the Minister of Lands to give an authorisation permitting some 352 Cameroonians who applied for state land to go ahead with the establishment of certificates which will permit them finally occupy their plots, a lot of water seems to be passing under the bridge with same land being confiscated by local chiefs in collaboration with local Government Officials.

According to an Affidavit of Representation number HCF/221/AF/B dated January 21, 2013 empowering the Cameroon Real Estate Corporation as Legal Representatives to follow up with Land Certificate for applicants on the Private Property of the State in Tiko Sub Division compiled by Barrister Nteamah George Fonju of the Fonju Law Firm in Tiko, 352 applicants were involved. In the same vein, the Chairman of the Cameroon Real Estate Corporation, George Fonbah has in a telephone conversation confirmed such a commitment and has called on applicants on State Land in Tiko Sub Division to wait for the Minister’s authorisation to enable them comply with Decree of allocation since he can only follow up with their land certificates only after the approval of the Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure.

George Fonbah further intimates that the Prime Minister’s Office in a letter dated June 19, 2013 had already asked the Minister in charge of Lands to make the approval. He states categorically that until everyone complies with strict respect of the provisions of decree No. 76-167 of 27^th April 1976 to establish terms and conditions of management of the Private Property of the State, any occupation of plots on the various layouts will be infringing on state land and will attract legal action. Emphasising his point, the Executive Chairman of the Cameroon Real Estate referred to the initiative of the Ministerial decision No. 3650/Y.2.6/MINUH/D210 of September 1,1988.

George Fonbah is of the view point that citizens, such as these waiting for ministerial approval to go ahead with the occupation of their land are being “exploited through acts of deceit, false pretense, theft by Government officials, the Tiko Council and their agents who are now responsible for the deplorable acts on the private property of the state in the Tiko Sub Division.” 

The first pages of a lengthy affidavit of representation showing the beginning of a lengthy list of applicants for state land in the Layouts in Tiko.

The Chairman of CREC states that while Cameroonians are waiting for the Minister of Lands to authorize about 352 Cameroonians to go ahead with the establishment of documents that will permit them occupy plots for which they applied, traditional chiefs in collaboration with some local authorities in Fako Division and specifically in Tiko Sub Division are in contradiction with certain decrees and statutory procedures already interfering in these same plots.

The Layouts directly involved in this land saga are the Likomba Commercial Layout with 187 applicants of State land, Likomba Residential Layout with 27 applicants, Long Street Layout/ Extension Layout with 23 applicants, Holtforth Layout Water tank with 20 applicants, Mutengene Layout Buea Road with 85 applicants, Mutengene Layout Limbe Road with 10 applicants. 

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Tiko Land Crisis Saga: Chairman of Cameroon Real Estate Breaks Silence from hideout abroad!

-Names corrupt land sellers who are protected by corrupt officials 

After a long period of silence following a jail term in connection with the Tiko Land Crisis, George Fonbah, Chairman of the Cameroon Real Estate Corporation reported be have escaped from the country has finally broken the spell. 

George Fonbah

Among other things, he has declared in a lengthy international telephone conversation that the Fako Administration can never empower Traditional Chiefs to manage the private property of the State on approved Council layouts in Tiko Sub Division. The court Judgment from the Court of First Instance in Tiko he further says can never replace the decree concerning the management of the private property of the State. He equally refuses that he sells plots within National or State land in the Tiko Sub-Division adding that since 1962, CDC owned no land or crops in the approved council layouts in Tiko Sub- Division.

He insists that it is the Cameroon Real Estate Corporation CREC that has spent FCFA 100 million to finance the creation and development of all the approved council layouts in Tiko Sub Division and that its only the Minister of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure that can manage the plots on the approved council layouts in Tiko Sub Division.

Land matters in Tiko he said are caused by the Cameroon Development Corporation CDC and Traditional Chiefs. CDC in 1962 surrendered parts of farms 4 and 5 of the Likomba Estate in a Deed of Surrender registered with the Lands Department on August 29, 1962 to the State and since then they have owned no land or crops within the surrendered areas that became the private property of the state. He further states that CDC illegally planted crops on the surrendered areas and are presently illegally selling crops and unjustly enriching the corporation.

Concerning the traditional chiefs whom he says claim that CDC had surrendered land to their villages, he said these chiefs have no rights to manage and sell plots on the private property of the state. “I want the public to know that CDC has no land within any of the approved council layouts in Tiko Sub-Division to surrender and sell land to Likomba and Tiko Chiefs.” He said for reasons of Public Security and to help protect public interest, this continuous exploitation of citizens (through acts of deceit, false pretence, theft by agents of chiefs and the abuse of judicial and administrative processes involved in land management) should stop. “I have seen corrupt practices on the sale of plots by Chief Joke Johannes Vako at Likomba Residential Layout and by Chief Nango Yome at the Holtforth Layout, Water tank and Long Street Extension Layout.”  

George Fonbah intimated that he investigated and found out that CDC in a report dated February 4,2013 signed by the General Manager and addressed to the Senior Divisional Officer for Fako surrendered in principle 30 hectares of land at Likomba-Dibanda Estate to the Likomba Village and 12 hectares at Sonne Rubber Estate to the Tiko Traditional Council. Legally he said, before any allocation of these parcels of land, there must be a Deed of Surrender duly signed between the Minister of Lands and the CDC Board Chairman concerning these areas.

George Fonbah pointed at certain facts which don’t fall in place. For instance; the Likomba Residential Layout, Holtforth Layout, Water tank and Long Street Extension Layout are covered by the Deed of Surrender of 1962 and managed by decree of allocation of private property of the State and at the same time, Chief Joke Johannes and Chief Nango Yome have claimed that the Fako Administration have empowered them to manage the above mentioned layouts as National land and they have land certificates.

George Fonbah said his concern was on the approved council layouts that the State already holds its land certificate stating that any third party wanting to buy land from there had to buy it from the state. He further explained that the above mentioned chiefs have abandoned the land CDC surrendered to their village in principle and obtained misleading land certificates to claim approved layouts.

He explained that the issue of managing layouts created on the surrendered lands had been directed by a letter from the Prime Minister’s Office dated June 19, 2013 addressed to him and a letter from the Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure dated August 14, 2015 addressed to the Cameroon Real Estate Corporation. In this light he said, only those who have bought plots from the state can occupy plots on these layouts and “any chief who uses court judgment to support such sales cannot work without obtaining a genuine land certificate. I have heard the public say I do sell land. Well this bad news is not true. There exists no sale document indicating that I have sold any land to any person. No court or administration has any exhibit that I have sold land. There is a mix up in professional fees I have received for documentation for the acquisition of land certificates, building permits among other things on behalf of Cameroon Real Estate Corporation and that cannot be styled as receipt for sales of land by George Fonbah.” He said those selling lands with exhibits to be prosecuted by the state have decided to promote allegations that he sells land. These people he said have gone ahead to corrupt law enforcement officers to take illegal actions against him. “I am an international legal person who deal with the presidency, the Prime Minister’s Office, CONAC and the Minister in charge of land on matters concerning the management of state land in Cameroon” he said.

Attempts to reach the General Manager of the Cameroon Development Corporation at press time failed but this reporter will certainly reach other parties mentioned here as the story unfolds. 

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