- Buea Police Commissioner Attacks Protesters, Promises No Mercy On All In Tole
- Victim Accuses Police Officers Of Stealing Mother’s Phone
On 6 January 2026, the people of Tole in the Buea subdivision rose against an attempt by the Chief of Bwiyuku, Kulu Paul Mongo, who is allegedly collaborating with the Subivisional Officer (D.O.) of Buea, to create a village called Marange from their farmlands and private properties. The accused are also planning to create two other villages called Wende and Jinge. Prefectorial orders have been issued to create these villages, despite there being no land for them to exist on. Locals attest that the documents for the targeted lands giving ownership to them were signed by the perpetrators and their predecessors.
Following a midnight operation by security forces that led to the arrest of some locals, the villagers mobilised and marched to Buea, where they demanded the release of their kinsmen and an audience with the D.O., Abba Abdourahman.
The protesters from Tole were, however, denied access. They were stopped at the premises of the D.O.’s office by the Commissioner of the Buea Central Police Station, Moantsouog Mempou Paulin who appeared to be extremely infuriated that the villagers had challenged the shady dealings concerning their private properties.
The Commissioner first took issue with the locals for rightly challenging the midnight arrests of their kinsmen, which were carried out in the early hours without arrest warrants or even police summons. When locals raised the issue that the arrests were illegal, the Commissioner fumed with anger at being challenged. According to him, since he gave the order himself, it should be considered legal, even without a summons or a warrant from a court.
He went on to issue a severe threat to the protesters, promising to show them no mercy when his officers next visit the farming community.
In a statement captured at the scene, the Commissioner directly addressed the protesters, stating: “What do you call illegal arrest… I will come back to Tole and I will not have mercy for you people.”
After making this statement, which was met with disapproval from the protesters, the enraged Police Commissioner waded into the crowd, assaulting some people in the process, before being briefly pulled away.
The remarks and actions have drawn criticism from observers and community members, who point to the statement as evidence of high-handed and intimidating tactics by officials. The Commissioner’s vow to return without “mercy,” coupled with the initial warrantless arrests, has intensified fears of a heavy-handed security response to the community’s grievances over land rights and legal due process.
Explaining the situation, Mola Ndumbe Joseph, who serves as the Chairman of the Bwiyuku Village Traditional Council, said that a certain Teke William, the elder brother of the village chief, has engaged in a venture to create another satellite village using villagers’ lands. Other protesters said it was because of this that bulldozers were sent to plough up farms and demarcate them into plots for sale. Some said the chief, his brother, and the Buea administration were doing so on the grounds that the owners could not develop the lands—some of which they had inherited from their fathers, and some of which they had purchased.
They explained that the plans to appropriate villagers’ lands were hatched around 2021, but an injunction was issued halting the process. Although the injunction was not lifted, the chief, his brother, aided by the Buea D.O. and the Police Commissioner and his men—went on to mark out people’s farms for plots ready to be sold.
Mola Mwambo Mathias, Vice Chairman of the Bwiyuku Traditional Council, who was roughed up by angry youths accusing them of complicity with the chief to arbitrarily seize villagers’ lands and farms in an effort to create a new village, narrated: “We were almost killed [by angry villagers]; they tore my clothes. It was an angry crowd, and I don’t hold anyone responsible because it was an angry crowd. But I want the authorities to know that if they want to use the chief to create another village, and they want to push us to be killed, then we say no to that.”
One of the victims of the targeted arrests-a protester who allegedly participated in sending away bulldozers from their farm-said that during the interaction with police officers, the officers seized his mother’s phone, and the phone subsequently disappeared, allegedly stolen by one of the officers.
He said the Bwiyuku Traditional Council of Chief Kulu Paul, who is attempting to create another chiefdom for his brother, is not aware of the creation of any chiefdom within their community. He urged against illegal arrests in their community, saying that they are all ready to die standing up to such attempts.
It remains to be seen whether the Commissioner of the Buea Central Police Station will keep to his word, go down to Tole, and continue to rough up and arrest locals to whom he promised no mercy.
