Fako Land crisis saga goes deadly!

CRTV Buea journalist’s home now heavily- guarded as death threats multiply

 From Mua Patrick in Buea

Matute Meyoli under death threats

Panelists of Press Club, a weekly Saturday morning programme aired over the CRTV regional station in Buea have had their lives under constant threats from anonymous individuals apparently fuming in anger over certain issues that have been dissected by the cream of journalists and guests over the Talk Show of  late.

Though it is unclear exactly what might have been the reason for the series of threats on both the panelists and moderator of the programme, it is highly-suspected that such threats are however not unconnected to some sensitive topics that have so far been discussed over the Buea-based government-run airwaves within the past months.

Anchorman, Matute Meyoli though seemingly equivocal on the reasons for the threats said in an interview granted The Guardian Post that it might be linked to two sensitive issues, the Fako Land saga and the reunification celebrations that took place in Buea. “Like I said, it is a bid difficult. I just have the impression that it might have something to do with the Fako Land crisis. You know there are a couple of sensitive issues that we have touched on over the programme particularly the Fako Land crisis and the fight to make sure that the projects of reunification celebration that took place in Buea were realized…when things were timid, we continued to pushed on. You know that the  Fako Land crisis for example has actually touched on so many persons including some elite and top administrative officials in the region and you can understand that so many of them are not comfortable with what we been discussing about the crisis. We believe that sometimes we step on toes without knowing,” he said.

Matute Meyoli recounted that this far, he has received over 14 calls and messages threatening his life and that of his family. Matters became worse a forth night ago when an unidentified individual hinted him on phone that his family was to be attacked same day. As narrated by Matute, he hurriedly alerted the police for security intervention. “What happened is that on June 29, 2014 in the morning, I received a call, in fact somebody has been sending messages urging me to call him so that he can give me details concerning the threats on my life but I ignored him. Even when he struggled to get me on telephone,  I told him to forget about it that I was not worried about such threats. Between Saturday and Sunday, he kept on calling until Sunday morning that I decided to pick his call and that is when he told me that the attack on my person and my family was imminent and that they were to operate that Sunday. He said part of the team was supposed to come from Yaounde. So I alerted the police and since then I can say there has been some tight security around my premises,” he narrated.

“The profession of journalism is that of threats but it becomes very disturbing when such threats are at your doorsteps as the case of Matute,” said one of the pioneer Buea Press Club panelists, Ambe Christopher of the Recorder newspaper. Eden’s Ayang Macdonald just like Ambe Christopher, also panelists on the critical Saturday programme, have both equally complaint of constant threats from unidentified persons.

Midwifed in 2006 with anchorman  Sam Bokuba, the programme  presently have as panelists, Boudih Adams, Nana Walter Wilson both of The Post, Macdonald Ayang, Ambe Christopher and Molua Ernest of the Entrepreneur. It has received guests from within and without the region including amongst others the Nigerian high commissioner to Cameroon, Christopher Tambe Tiku, Barrister Ngongi Namata, Rt Rev. Nyasanku Ni-Nku and the Bishop of Buea.