The powerful traditional regulatory society of the Nso people, Nwerong Nso, has outlawed the collection of burial fees by churches and mosques in all public cemeteries across Nso land, declaring that no religious institution has the right to charge families for burial spaces.
The directive, known as“Sa-Nwerong,” was proclaimed by Nwerong on Ntangrin(one of the 8days of the week in Nso) which fell on March 4, 2026. In the announcement, the traditional authority stressed that no church or mosque should demand payment for grave spaces or burial rites conducted in cemeteries on Nso land.
“Every church, without exception, should not dig a grave for anyone in any cemetery on Nso land and ask even for 25 FCFA. Nwerong Nso has banned it,” the proclamation stated. “The land was not sold. Nobody should be sold any space by the church for burial. The Fon and the Nwerong gave out the land. What did anyone pay to be given a piece of land?”
Nwerong explained that burial grounds in Nso were historically established as places of hospitality. According to the secret society, cemeteries were originally created particularly for strangers and visitors who died far from their ancestral homes and whose bodies could not easily be transported back to their native villages.
“Nwerong says since the church has become a money-making place… no money should be taken for anyone buried in cemeteries,” the proclamation declared. “No church should bury anyone and collect any money. The land was not sold to any church. Why do you want to gain from something you never bought?”
The traditional institution expressed concern that some churches have been charging grieving families substantial sums of money before allowing burials to take place in church-managed cemeteries. According to the statement, in some cases families are asked to pay as much as 100,000 FCFA for burial spaces.
Nwerong questioned the justification for such charges, arguing that religious institutions cannot legitimately profit from land they neither bought nor own.
“When they sell grave spaces, what do they give to Nwerong and the Fon, the owners of the land?” the message asked.
The society reiterated that the land used for cemeteries in Nso was freely granted by the traditional authorities — the Fon and Nwerong — for the benefit of the wider community. As such, it insisted that no church or mosque has the authority to commercialise burial spaces on the land.
With the directive taking immediate effect, Nwerong warned that any religious institution that continues to demand money as a condition for digging graves or conducting burials in public cemeteries would be acting in violation of traditional authority.
In addition to the ban, Nwerong called on members of the public to actively assist in enforcing the directive. It urged residents to report any church or religious body that demands payment for burial spaces or cemetery services in contravention of the new order.
Community members were reminded that burial grounds are communal spaces intended to serve the people, not avenues for financial gain.
The decision is likely to have significant implications for burial practices across Nso land in Cameroon’s Northwest Region, where many cemeteries are located on land traditionally allocated by the palace and managed in collaboration with religious institutions.
The move is widely seen as a reaffirmation of the authority of traditional institutions over communal lands and a clear signal that cultural norms governing such spaces must be respected.
In this latest outing, Nwerong Nso appears determined to ensure that cemeteries remain accessible to all families regardless of their financial means. In Nso, only a “fool” tries to go against directives of Nwerong, the only body with powers to tame any unruly individual or groups operating against the customs and traditions of Nso. It hardly ends well for violators.
