afrol News, 20 May - The M'bororo herders of Northern Cameroon can celebrate their first small victory in the conflict against multi-millionaire rancher and majority shareholder of the troubled Cameroon Tea Estates, Baba Ahmadou Danpullo. An alleged close aide to Mr Danpullo has been arrested for possession of firearms.

The M'bororo people, originally the nomadic cousins of Northern Cameroon's powerful Fulbe (Fulani) people, have been dragged into an increasingly bloody conflict with new commercial land owners, close to the government, conflicting with their traditional herding rights to the same extensive lands. Until recently, M'bororo activists seemed helpless against the cooperation between landlord Danpullo and local police and authorities.

Abdu Gidado Dabankejo, alias Abdu John, an alleged close aide to Mr Danpullo, now however is reported to have been arrested for possession of firearms. He was arrested by security forces following a search conducted in his residence in the provincial capital, Bamenda recently. He is being held in custody in Bamenda, Cameroonian sources told afrol News.

The Bamenda-based television station 'Afrique Nouvelle', has paraded Mr Gidado in company of other "suspected men of the underworld" on a prime time news slot. Recounting Mr Gidado's ordeal, they left viewers in no doubt that this was considered to be a major catch for the security forces in Bamenda, given the high levels of fire arm robberies and murders in the town recently.

According to sources close to Mr Gidado, he was arrested following a tip-off from a person he contacted proposing to sell a strong machine gun. Acquaintances also claim that his protégé, Mr Danpullo, has a hidden hand in his arrest in an effort to clear himself from allegations of providing illegal arms to his close aides and militia. The accusation came to light in an ongoing court case involving M'bororo activists fiercely opposed to the confiscation of their grazing land by Mr Danpullo.

Sources within the M'bororo community denounce rumours to link his arms-dealing with an M'bororo uprising "since he has always acted as an agent provocateur and an understudy for Baba Ahmadou Danpullo against the M'bororo." He allegedly openly criticised the M'bororo organisation MBOSCUDA, Mr Danpullo's avowed enemy. In 1996 he was one of Mr Danpullo's witnesses in a case against MBOSCUDA leaders.

Mr Gidado is known to have connived with landlord Danpullo to dissolve the North-West Cattle Breeders Cooperative (of which Mr Gidado was President), who's assets including cash and cattle were confiscated by the latter.

- M'bororo people have never forgiven him for his role in the illegal action and are unlikely to shed any tears for his present troubles, a commentator says. Observers say this will be another test case for the Cameroonian authorities to prove how far they can go in stopping organised crime, corruption and political patronage.

Fundong court defends M'bororos
Earlier this month, a Cameroonian court dismissed the case against Musa Ndamba, Provincial President of MBOSCUDA, case brought by landlord Danpullo towards the end of last year. Mr Musa was arrested by gendarmes just before Christmas 2002 on allegations of writing a threatening tract directed at Mr Danpullo.

Meanwhile, imprisoned M'bororo activists that were transferred to Bamenda Central Prison Ousman Haman, Isa Adamou, Yunusa Banghoji and Yauba Umaru have been moved from Bafoussam to Bamenda Central Prison. They are still awaiting the hearing of their appeal against a 10 years prison term by a Military Tribunal in March.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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