DO Of Belabo Backtracks Few Hours After Ordering The Killing Of An Individual, That Disguises As Gorilla, And Terrorizes Population

Dahirou Yaya, the DO of Belabo in Lom and Djerem Division of the East Region of Cameroon, on Friday, October 18, 2024, quickly backtracked on a communiqué he signed few hours earlier, after the inappropriate language he used sparked a controversy that embarrassed the Cameroon administration and shocked the judiciary. The issue once more raised the question as to the type of training that civil administrators get at EMAM.

In a communiqué (‘Communiqué Radio’),No 015/CR/B15.03/SP signed on October 18, 2024, the DO of Belabo, Dahirou Yaya, informed the local population that firm instruction had been given to  patrol teams, to shoot and kill an individual that dresses or disguises like a gorilla, and terrorizes noble citizens at night.   The DO of Belebo noted that the unknown individual who dresses or disguises as a gorilla at night, among other things throw stones at people, and terrorize  the population.

The first of the two paragraphs of the DO’s communiqué in French read: “Le Sous Prefet de l”Arrondissement de Belabo a l’honneur de porter a la connaissance de citoyen de Belabo, que des instruction fermes ont ete donnee aux patrouilles afin d’abattre un individu arborant une tenue de gorille, qui lance les cailloux sur de nobles citoyens et les terroise la nuit”. The sentence is approximately translated as: “The Sub –divisional Officer of Belabo, brings to the knowledge of the noble citizens of Belabo that firm instruction has been given to patrol teams, to knock down an individual dressed like a gorilla, who throw stones on noble citizens and terrorizes them at night”.

It should be noted that the word, ‘ABATTRE’, in French means to cut down, to knock down or to bring down. In a context like this which is an instruction given to Forces of Law and Order, ‘abattre’ means to kill the individual. It should as well as be noted that within this context also, the DO in talking about noble citizens of Belabo is not only referring to Cameroonian citizens, but to the entire population of Belabo. This clarification is necessary, because there are many foreigners living all over the East Region which is very rich in natural resources.

DO Talks Of Elimination Of  The Individual   

Meanwhile in the second and last paragraph of the communiqué, the DO called on the population of Belabo to collaborate with the Forces of Law and Order to rapidly ELIMNATE the terrorist, which is a new type. (“Il invite par consequent les citoyens a collaborer avec les Forces de Maintien de l’Ordre afin d’eliminer rapidement ce terroriste d’un nouveau genre”). The DO meant that the misdeed, or better still, the atrocity being committed by the individual that  disguises like a gorilla at night and harasses the local population, is a new type or form of terrorism.

The DO of Belabo copied the Forces of Law of Order, and the Director of Community Radio Belabo. The Radio Director was instructed to ensure that the communiqué was read in all local languages of the area.

Swift And Embarrassing Reactions

The reactions to the very controversial communiqué of the DO of Belabo were swift in coming, especially on the social media, where some bloggers expressed shock with the language oo words used in the communiqué by a senior administrative officer (‘Administrateur Civil Principale’), and some questioned the type of training that civil administrators receive at ENAM.

The communiqué was also an embarrassment to the administration, and judicial authorities that learnt of it were all shocked. How could a DO, an administrative officer or civil administrator, openly order the Forces of Law and Order to kill somebody, even if that person is a terrorist as the Belabo DO called the unknown individual who disguised like a gorilla and stone people at night.  In a society of Law and Order as Cameroon claims to be, any law breaker, no matter the type of atrocity committed. Is supposed to be arrested by the Forces of Law and Order or security forces, and handed over to the right quarter, which is the judiciary, for the Law to take its course.

So as concerns the Belabo DO’s communiqué, the issue in fact was not whether somebody who disguises as a gorilla at night and terrorizes the population, is supposed to be killed or not. Rather, the issue was whether the DO had the power or right to order that somebody should be killed.

DO Rapidly Modifies Content Of Communiqué

Meanwhile in the face of the embarrassing situation, the DO of Belabo, Dahirou Yaya, quickly modified the content of his controversial communiqué while maintaining it as communiqué No.. 015 / CR / B15.03 / SP. In the modified communiqué, the DO said firm instruction has been given to the Forces and Order to search for the individual who dresses or disguises as a gorilla, and arrest him.

The DO called on the population to collaborate with the Forces of Law and Order, so that the individual can be arrested and presented to the judicial authorities. (‘Il invite par consequent les citoyens a collaborer avec les Forces de Maintien de l’Ordre afin de l’apprehender et le presenter aux Authoritaires Judiciares’).

Note should be taken that in the communiqué which contained modifications, the DO said firm instruction has been given to the Forces of Law and Order to Arrest or Apprehend (‘Apprehender’), and not to Kill (‘Abattre’), the individual who disguises as a gorilla, as contained in the first communiqué.    The DO also called on the population to collaborate with the Forces of Law and Order for the individual to be rapidly Apprehended or Arrested (“Apprehender’), and not for  the Forces of Law and Order to Eliminate (‘Eliminer’) the individual as in  the first communiqué.

Meanwhile some local sources in Belabo allege that the unknown individual who terrorizes the population at night, is not somebody who disguises as a gorilla as the DIO preferred to put, but is rather somebody with mystical powers that transforms into a gorilla. For those who know the East Region (land of the pigmies), such a story or allegation is not strange.  .