The leader and manager of an eight-man conspiracy has been ordered to federal prison for his role in a scheme to steal over $726,000 from a South Korean company, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Frankline Bate Okpu, 35, is a legal permanent resident of Houston and pleaded guilty Jan. 25.

Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes ordered him to serve 36 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay $350,938 in restitution. Not a U.S. citizen, he may face removal proceedings following his prison term.

Okpu had orchestrated a scheme to steal money from Daesang Corporation, a producer of consumer foods based in Seoul, South Korea.

In the summer of 2017, Daesang sought to import frozen pork and chicken products from the United States for the upcoming Moon festival in South Korea. They contacted Trinity Food – a company who had held itself out to be a legitimate supplier of frozen food products.

Daesang communicated with Trinity via e-mail and whatsapp, ultimately entering into a contract with them. Daesang wired $726,000 into an account at a Bank of America in Houston that belonged to Okpu. Between September and December 2017, Okpu and his co-conspirators transferred the money to other accounts and converted it for their own use.

Okpu recruited others to set up bank accounts and cash checks at various banks in Houston; Miami, Florida; and Los Angeles, California, for a share in the stolen money.

Daesang never received the product they paid for and sought help from U.S. authorities.

Previously released on bond, Okpu was taken into custody following the sentencing today where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Seven others have pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme. A final man – Pascal Ayuk Ayuketta, 39, a citizen of Cameroon, is a fugitive and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the nearest U.S. Marshal’s office at 1-877-WANTED-2 or through the web.

The FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Gallagher prosecuted the case.

Source: Justice.gov

Sally Mboumien constantly hears the heartbreaking stories of rape, sexual assault, and defilement. “The story usually goes like this: You either come at a police checkpoint, and the officer asks you to provide your identification, all this time he would be eyeing the young lady to satisfy his sexual exploits,” Mboumien said.

The founder of Common Action for Gender Development (COMAGEND), said the officer would then hold off the identity papers and wait until everyone has left. Then accuse the lady of committing a crime before asking her for sexual favor or to date him so she can go scot-free. “At least one in three girls experience this in Northwest and Southwest Cameroon,” she said, adding that the police officers usually defend themselves by saying it was consensual, which in most cases isn’t.

There have been nearly 500 recorded rape and sexual assault incidents in the first quarter of this year alone. In 2020, the UN reported 4,300 related cases.

“Sexual violence is growing in such large proportions that we fear for the future,” Omam Esther, Executive Director of Reach Out Cameroon, a non-governmental organization, told DW. “We don’t know what may happen the next day. This conflict has aggravated the phenomenon of sexual violence, where people take advantage of the most vulnerable in our communities to the most, especially the girls and women.”

Both the government soldiers and separatist fighters are accused of commiting sexual violence

Call to ‘stop the flow of blood’

Several women in the restive region, who wished to remain anonymous, said the violence had reached a dangerous level. “It’s painful when I look at it. They have killed my brother, but what can I do than to beg for peace,” one woman said.

Another woman lamented the endless bloodletting: “We don’t sleep. There are incessant killings every day. We want an end to hostilities. We want that they should put down the guns, stop the flow of blood.”

According to the UN, the Anglophone crisis has claimed more than 3,500 lives. Over one million have fled their homes. Many of them are women and children who are victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

“The question is, are the victims ready to talk?” Mboumien pondered.

“When you have a few who want to tell their story, at some point, they are threatened. Remember, most of these crimes are perpetrated by those in uniforms or fighters who have the guns.”

Hunger strike to raise awareness

Meanwhile, at least one thousand women embarked on a hunger strike this week to draw global attention to the conflict. The women are pressing US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to step in and help restore peace in the troubled country.

The hunger-striking women are urging French President Emmanuel Macron to intervene

“I have not eaten for seven days. I am very weak, hungry, devastated, dehydrated. As I am speaking, I have a severe headache,” one of the women on hunger strike told DW.

Harsh as it may be, the women say they will continue starving until world leaders find reasonable solutions to the crisis. “We are not backing out now. We are not backing down. We will continue the hunger strike,” Frida Baye Ebai, the coordinator of the strike, said. “We call on other sisters to join us. It’s a personal commitment. We are not forcing anyone,” Ebai told DW.

She said the women’s identity would remain a secret for fear of reprisals either from government troops or the separatists.

“I have lost children because of this crisis. I have lost nephews. We are

the ones who feel the pains of childbirth,” one striking woman said, adding that they are the ones who feel the pain of children growing up without a parent. “That’s why we are taking this firm commitment to go on this hunger strike.”

No let up in violence

Fighting has reached alarming levels in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions. The recent attack took place in the locality of Galim in the neighboring French-speaking West region, with separatists carrying out a daring raid on a military outpost. The fighting left 12 separatists and four soldiers dead.

Awa Fonka Augustine, governor of the West region, said the government was very concerned by the escalation. “The head of state [President Paul Biya] has stretched an olive branch and has requested for dialogue. Why do we continue killing ourselves in this manner? It is really regrettable, and it’s an act to condemn.”

The Anglophone crisis in its fifth year, started out a protest against marginalization

The Biden administration has already signaled a readiness to act, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying it was time for the US to act decisively on Cameroon’s crisis.

The conflict began when teachers and lawyers in the Anglophone region took to the streets on October 6, 2016. They were protesting alleged government efforts to assimilate the two Anglophone regions’ legal and educational systems into the French system. The government retaliated by using lethal force. Consequently, an armed separatist movement that has since splintered into different factions emerged.

Culled from Deutchwelle

The tug of war between Prime Minister Dion Ngute and Justice Minister Laurent Esso took a very disturbing dimension yesterday in Douala, the economic capital which is Minister Laurent Esso’s constituency.

The so-called premier was in Douala with the CPDM begging bowl to meet the business community but failed to observe proper protocol. The Southern Cameroonian who moonlights as prime minister and head of government arrived Douala with his own seat, red carpet, food and drinking water.

Pro Minister Esso French Cameroun media houses accused Chief Dr Dion Ngute of hating the Sawa people and by extrapolation Minister Laurent Esso as he reportedly refused to attend a CPDM Littoral close door meeting and also turned down Douala police protection during the visit.

Dion Ngute was in Douala yesterday for a number of engagements including one with the business community known as GICAM.

A senior official at the Littoral Governor’s Office told Cameroon Concord News that it was deeply regrettable that the crisis in Southern Cameroons is now tearing the ruling CPDM party apart.

In a personal attack on the Southern Cameroons pro French Cameroun political elite, a Laurent Esso aide boasted that the prime minister will soon be arrested and he will be forced to show respect for Minister Esso.

The Star Building declined to comment on the happenings in Douala.

By Fon Lawrence in Douala

Refugees in camps scattered across the South-South zone have complained of many inadequacies, especially food supply and decent accommodation.

They spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Refugees from neighbouring Cameroon, displaced by political crises, are taking refuge in many communities in Cross River.

Mr Elias Tako, leader of the Cameroonian Refugees at the Adagom Resettlement Camp, Ogoja, appealed to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to come to their aid.

Tako said that their basic needs and stipends were in short supply, adding that they are faced with several challenges in the camp.

“We have a lot of challenges, as I speak, we are yet to be paid our monthly Cash Base Intervention. Things are not moving as usual.

“In 2018 when we first came into the camp, the money was N7,200 monthly per individual. But as we speak, the stipend has reduced to N3,600, this is not encouraging at all.

“So, from January till date, it has not been easy with the refugees at the Adagom settlement in Ogoja,’’ he said.

Tako further said that the money was paid to them by UNHCR, adding that they are pleading with them to pay the arrears with a view to help them meet their needs.

He said that they were very uncomfortable at the camp, having been displaced from their ancestral homes as a result of the ongoing crises in Cameroon.

“We are grateful to the Cross River Government for accepting us and giving us a camp to settle down. We are also grateful to all the partners that have been delivering various services to us.

“If our brother country Nigeria with the support of the UNHCR can do anything possible for us to go back home, we will highly appreciate it, but back home in Cameroon, the crises is still ongoing,’’ he said.

He said that in 2020, it was Family Health International(FHI 360) that implemented health-based issues for the refugees, adding that their contract was terminated by the UNHCR in 2021.

The FHI 360 is a non-profit human development organisation based in North Carolina.

According to him, the Red Cross Nigeria currently implements a healthcare programme for the refugees.

He also complained of insufficient drugs in the primary healthcare centre where the refugees go for medical attention.

Mr Edet Ene, the leader of Bakassi returnees in Cross River, said the major challenge in the camp was accommodation.

Ene also said that the housing units built by the Cross River Government to house them were destroyed on Oct, 24, 2020 by hoodlums that hijacked the #EndSARS.

He said that they were now taking refuge in a primary school even as he appealed to the government and corporate organisations to come to their aid.

In Akwa Ibom, there are over 50,085 IDPs, scattered across 15 camps.

Their leaders in separate interviews, complained of neglect, and appealed to the UNHCR, the Federal Government and the World Bank to integrate them with their families.

Mr Aston Inyang, National Coordinator, Voice of Bakassi Returnees, Migrants, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, said that several appeals were made for assistance to the IDPs.

Inyang said that letters to the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, for assistance in areas of empowerment and skills acquisition, did not receive positive response.

The letter stated inter alia: “We are Nigerians and indigenes of Akwa Ibom State, who were displaced from Bakassi Peninsula following the ceding of the Peninsula to Cameroon by the Federal Government.

“We wish to draw your attention to the issues of Bakassi Returnees of Akwa Ibom State origin.

“We have been so neglected, cheated and marginalised by your Commission regarding relief intervention, skills training and empowerment,’’ Inyang said.

Mr Ikpoto James Ikpoto, President, Voice of Bakassi Returnees, Migrants, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, also claimed that the returnees were neglected.

Ikpoto said the IDPs that were camped at Technical College Ikot Ada Idem in Ibiono Ibom LGA, are experiencing accommodation problems.

“The IDPs in Akwa Ibom State suffered unbearable conditions. As the State President of the body, I tried at least to put an anchor on them, but the burden is getting heavier,” Ikpoto said.

Mr Etim Bassey, Chairman of Bakassi Returnees in Oron, said the returnees were really passing through terrible times that required urgent intervention.

Bassey said the IDPs were scattered in the five local government areas of Oron, adding that the camps lacked adequate healthcare facilities.

He called on governments to identify the real IDPs and render assistance as a matter of urgency, “instead of dealing with political returnees.’’

The story was the same at IDPs camps at Nsit Ibom, Iko Eket, among others.

Mr Godwin Udo, member of the Bakassi Returnees in Eket expressed displeasure over several promises made by previous administrations to integrate them with their families, but nothing has been done till now.

He also alleged that there were no health facilities, potable water and that the camp had been in a deplorable state for five years.

“UN officials visited the camp severally and promised to build resettlement camp and to give us relief materials, that promise was not fulfilled,’’ he said.

Udo said that their families still live in a temporary camp at Government Primary School, Iko Eket.

The Bayelsa camp with 800 inhabitants is located at Azikoro Road, Yenagoa. It is populated by victims of flood disaster and Bakassi returnees.

According to Mr Jeremiah Jerry-Weni, leader of Bakassi returnees, the state government showed concern when they were brought to camp, but afterwards forgot them.

Jerry-Weni urged the federal and state governments to improve the standard of living in the IDPs camp.

He said that life had been very difficult for them and appealed to humanitarian organisations to assist them.

Some victims of the 2020 flood disaster in the state, now taking refuge at Igbogene IDPs camp, said most of them could not go back to their houses since they lacked the resources to relocate, hence they decided to remain in the camp.

According to an IDP, Mrs Ebiere Etifa, her children have nowhere to go since no one can assist her and the children.

She appealed to relevant authorities to address their predicament as they felt abandoned by everyone around them.

In Edo, no fewer than 2, 500 IDPs, mostly from the North-East are being taken care of by `Home for The Needy Foundation. The camp is located at Uhogua, Ovia North East Local Government Area.

Coordinator of the Foundation, Solomon Folorunsho, said the organisation is grappling with feeding the IDPs, adding that the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic worsened the situation at the camp.

He said: “It takes a lot to feed these IDPs. We got some support before, but since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not received any assistance from anywhere; we managed to feed them; it has been God.

“Our concern here is not where these IDPs come from, but to secure their future,’’ he said.

He also solicited assistance in the areas of education as 50 of the IDPs had enrolled in various institutions of learning across the country, while 23 of them were offered admissions in the current academic session.

“As I speak with you, University of Benin has already offered admission to 20 of them. Ekiti State University gave admission to three. This figure is besides the 50 we had before.

“We don’t want them to go into crime. We are giving them education. Some are studying professional courses. They are the future of Nigeria.

“They need support. There is little we can do. Government should take over their education, pay their fees, while we remain at the background,” he said. (NANFeatures)

Source: Nigerian Observer News

Journalist Paul Chouta has been sentenced to 23 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay several million CFA francs in fines and damages after being held for two years awaiting a trial verdict in Cameroon. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) deplores this excessive and unjustified penalty which is a serious attack on press freedom.

The judge’s verdict was finally issued yesterday after being postponed 27 times. Paul Chouta, a reporter for the Cameroun Web media outlet and a whistleblower critical of the government, was the subject of a complaint brought by the novelist Calixthe Belaya alleging defamation and the publication of fake news.

The judge sentenced him to 23 months in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of 160,000 CFA francs and a further 2 million CFA francs in damages (a total of some 3,200 euros).

He was alleged to have posted online a video of her in a heated argument with a man without seeking her permission. The video lasted just a few minutes and as a result he was held for two years in pre-trial detention, the maximum sentence for the charges against him.

The time he has already served in prison is more than the sentence but he must still raise the funds to pay the financial penalties to secure his release from Yaoundé’s main jail, normally reserved for the most serious offenders.

“Not only has Paul Chouta had to face court proceedings and a long period of detention, but he must now pay an exorbitant sum to be able finally to leave prison,” said RSF. “The verdict is the culmination of a farcical case. There is no justification for such a long detention and final verdict unless it is an attempt to silence a troublesome voice. We call on Cameroon’s justice authorities to take firm action to protect freedom of news and information and to ensure that journalists have the right to fair treatment by the judicial system in the country.”

Before his detention the journalist had been the target of threats over stories that were critical of the government. In January 2019, a few months after his arrest, he was the target of a knife attack by three unidentified assailants. After his arrest, several of his close associates were also subjected to repeated intimidation attempts by the police.

Several journalists are in prison in Cameroon, where press freedom has been eroded in recent years. Amadou Vamoulké, 71, the former head of the state-owned national radio and TV broadcaster CRTV, has been held for almost five years in Kondengui prison in Yaoundé awaiting trial. The journalist Emmanuel Mbombog Mbog Matip was arrested and arbitrarily detained in August 2020 accused of publishing fake news. He has announced he will start a hunger strike from tomorrow.

Cameroon is ranked 135th out of 180 countries in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index compiled by RSF.

Source: RSF

A Plot to Bomb Fiango Market by French Cameroun Military Personnel

Following a thorough investigation and brave intelligence work of the Ambazonia Intelligence Services, The Interim Government of Ambazonia is by this statement informing the International Community and the people of Ambazonia that;

1.            An attempt to bomb Fiango Market in Kumba, Southern Cameroons, by forces loyal to the regime in Yaoundé was thwarted on Thursday, 13 May 2021. The plot was another attempt to kill innocent people, destroy property, and then deceitfully ascribe the crime to our brave self-defense forces.

2.            Mr Biya’s tribal Bulu militia, infected by HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmittable diseases, continue to pursue the genocidal agenda of the regime in Yaoundé through widespread rape and infection of Ambazonian women. Mr Biya aims, therefore, to continue the destruction of the people of Ambazonia with complete impunity.

3.            Today, the world is informed that forty-nine schoolchildren of Mendankwe Government Secondary High School have been impregnated and infected with HIV by Biya’s Bulu militia.

4.            We, the people of Southern Cameroons, reserve the right to defend ourselves. However, as a people, we remain committed to peace and are prepared to engage with the regime in Yaoundé to find a peaceful solution to the conflict between our two nations.

We continue to call for the withdrawal of Mr Biya’s rapist and genocide-perpetrating colonial occupation forces. The Interim Government of Ambazonia calls for the release of all Ambazonians that Mr Biya’s regime has taken hostage. We call on a UN Mandated International Fact-finding Mission to Ambazonia to ascertain and record atrocities committed upon our people. Only such a mission will bring all perpetrators to justice.

All Southern Cameroonians in Ground Zero must remain vigilant for acts of vandalism and blackmail by La Republique du Cameroun military. We must not be intimidated, and our focus must remain on the prize of freedom and independence.

Sincerely,

Dabney Yerima

The Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government Dabney Yerima has ordered Ambazonia Restoration fighters to turn the entire Southern Cameroons homeland into sheer hell for French Cameroun government forces and its so-called civil administrators.

Vice President Yerima in a statement released on Tuesday, directed all Southern Cameroons Self Defense Groups not to spare any colonial administrator and shivering French Cameroun occupation soldiers carrying out shameful and sinful attacks on the people of Ambazonia.

Appealing to the Southern Cameroons diaspora to continue to invest in the big rubbergun project, Dabney Yerima said Ambazonia fighters should set up all trunk A and trunk B roads including army camps in Southern Cameroons as their targets, and turn the area into absolute hell.

Yerima also noted that the Prime Minister Dion Ngute visit to Buea today May 19 is an act of French Cameroun provocation that will be met by unexpected surprises.

Vice President Yerima also stated that Southern Cameroonians are well prepared for the current fighting with La Republique du Cameroun and that Amba fighters have great capabilities to rely on and can put out resistance for a long period of time.

By Chi Prudence Asong