Cameroon’s police boss to sanction corrupt officers

The Delegate General for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguele, has promised doom for corrupt police officers at road checkpoints in Cameroon.

The information is contained in a radio message he signed on March 4.

The promise follows complaints from road users and the National Anti-Corruption Commission about the excesses and widespread corruption at mixed-control checkpoints along public roads.

The police boss has instructed that all necessary measures be put in place to effectively fight corruption on the road and to also weed out officers exporting and harassing road users.

That is because Martin Mbarga Nguele issued a communiqué some months ago instructing police officers not to take away ID cards that had expired during road checks.

However, it seems officers never heeded the instructions of their boss, as people with expired ID cards are still being subjected to harassment, intimidation, and extortion.

Two weeks ago, two skit makers were arrested and forced to pay 30.000 frs (49.61 USD). The duo told MMI that they were accused of being scammers. “This is not the first time it has happened. “

“The Gendarmes relentlessly pursued us on bikes, baselessly labelling us as scammers, and confiscated both our money and cleared our phones. The Gendarmes were even acquainted with our identities, yet they mercilessly deprived us of everything they possessed. These distressing incidents have left us deeply unsettled,” they narrated.

They added that “Jeff, my identical twin brother, fell victim to abduction, losing not only his cellphone but also all his belongings. Witnessing such traumatic ordeals is truly disheartening. I am wondering what evidence supports the scammers’ accusations against us, and why did the authorities seize our money without justification?”

The Delegate General for National Security wants a stop to this and has called for sanctions against any default officer.

The population of Cameroon, particularly those living in the conflict-torn Northwest and Southwest regions, is dealing with extortion, power abuse, and police harassment on a daily basis.

Police even carry out raids in neighbourhoods in the name of “cale cale” just for those caught to pay for their freedom.

However, the radio message dishing out instructions to Mbarga Nguele on March 4 is the second radio message that he has addressed to officers in less than a week.

Martin Mbarga had earlier instructed security personnel on borders to be on the watch for senior government officials who want to leave the country without permission from appropriate authorities.

Mimi Mefo Info