Prince Charles ABI ENONCHONG Calls For Resignation Of The State Counsel Of The Court Of First Instance Bonanjo – Douala, Aristide EFFOUDOU

Accuses Effoudou of flagrant violation of the Law by illegally putting on rent a building that belongs to SCI –ABANE SARL, property of the Enonchong Succession

 Prince Charles ABI ENONCHONG, the Douala based next – of – kin to late Chief Dr Barrister Henry NDIFOR ABI ENONCHONG, who is as well the Administrator of the estate of the Late Chief Enonchong, has called for the resignation of the State Counsel of the Court of First Instance Bonanjo – Douala, Aristide EFFOUDOU, for gross and flagrant violation of the Law. He has accused the State Counsel of illegally putting on rent a building at Akwa, Douala, which is the property of SCI- ABANE SARL, part of the Enonchong Succession, of which he (Charles Abi Enonchong) is the General Manager.

Prince Charles Abi Enonchong’s demand for the resignation of the State Counsel of the Court of First Instance, Bonanjo – Douala, is contained in a press release in French which he issued in Douala on March 11, 2025. Attached to the press release or communiqué, were over a dozen documents including court rulings on the ownership of the building in question, and other related matters.  On that March 11, Prince Charles Enonchong also took questions from reporters in front of the building in question at Akwa – Douala. The doors of the building were all locked by the time Prince Enonchong arrived the place.

Administrator Of The Estate of Late Chief HNA Enonchong

To better understand the story as contained in the press release and the accompanying documents, it is good to start from the beginning of the matter. Chief Dr Barrister Henry Ndifor Abi Enonchong of Besongabang in Mamfe Sub –division, Manyu Division of the Southwest Region, passed away suddenly on June 26, 2008 at his Doauala residence. Curiously enough, no will was found. In a meeting that was held in the village (Besongabang) by the Enonchong Family in the presence of a bailiff, Charles Abi Enonchong, the first son of Late Chief Enonchong, who was based in Nigeria, was confirmed as  the next – of – kin of Late Chief Enonchong, in line with the Bayang tradition. Charles Enonchong was also confirmed by the Enochong Family, as the Administrator of the estate or assets left behind by late Chief Enonchong.

The Enonchong Family also noted that Chief Enonchong while he lived had only one legally married wife, (the mother of Charles Abi Enonchong and siblings), though he along the line had a number of concubines with whom he had children. However the Enonchong Family declared their recognition of all the children, that is, those that were born in wedlock and those that were born out of wedlock, as the children of Late Chief Enonchong. The next – kin – kin, Charles Enonchong, had no problem with that.

Rebecca Enonchong Illegally Declares Herself Administrator Of SCI – ABANE

But in 2009 while Prince Charles Abi Enonchong was still the Provisional Administrator of the estate of Late Chief Enonchong, waiting for the Manyu High Court in Mamfe to eventually issue him the Letter of Administration, one of his step – sister, Rebecca Ebanga Enonchong, that Chief Enonchong had with one American lady, illegally declared herself as the administrator of SCI – ABANE, an enterprise (real estate) that was owned by Late Chief Enonchong, and thus part of the Enonchong Estate.

 Charles Abi Enonchong, the then Provisional Administrator of the estate of the late Chief Enonchong, through his lawyer, Barrister Francis Bache, filed a Motion Ex-parte at the Court of First Instance Tiko, in the Southwest Region, to restrain the first respondent “from  holding out herself as administrator of SCI – ABANE, and comingling in the management of the Enocnching Estate”.  It should be noted that Chief Enonchong also had a big investment (a rubber plantation) in Tiko Sub – division), which was part of the Enonchong Estate.

The Tiko Court of First Instance   in the ruling on the Motion Ex – Parte on June 16, 2009, declared that “Rebecca Ebanga Enonchong is restrained from holding out herself as administrator of SCI – ABANE, and commingling in the management of the Enonchong Estate”.

Meanwhile talking about the Latter of Administration, the Manyu High Court in Mamfe, on December 30, 2009, issued the Letter of Administration of the Estate of Henry Ndifor Abi Enonchong of Besongabang, to Charles Abi Enonchong (son of the decease). Also, in order to enable SCI – ABANE to have a registration number, it was transformed into SARL by the legal Administrator (Charles Enonchong), and so it became known as SCI – ABANE SARL ( RC / DLA /2010 / B/ 1292 ON 30/06/2010).

Legal Bartle Ranges On   

Meanwhile despite the ruling by the Tiko Court of First Instance, Rebecca Enonchong tried to hang on to SCI – ABANE SAR, even though she had no document to back her resistance, whereas Charles Enonchong was in possession of official documents that recognized him as next – of – kin to Late Chief Enonchong, and as the Administrator of the Enonchong Estate of which SCI – ABANE was part and parcel.

Along the line, Rebecca Enonchong and her lawyer came up with another story, that SCI – ABANE was an American company, and that the Power of Attorney was given to them by one Madam SHERMAN Claudine Reine veuve Down, who, has never, been seen. The matter went to the courts in Douala up to the Littoral Court of Appeal, which on May 16, 2014 ruled that SCI – ABANE belonged to Late Chief Enonchong. The lady and her lawyer took the matter to the Supreme Court in Yaounde. Apparently their hope was that the matter would hang on at the Supreme Court for many years. They pleaded for a stay of execution of the ruling that was delivered by the Littoral Court of Appeal.

But by Ordinance No. 629 of 9 December 2014, the President of the Supreme Court rejected the demand by Rebecca Enonchong and her lawyer,   for the stay of execution of the ruling by the Littoral Court of Appeal. They however still went ahead to file a second demand. But by Ordinance No. 245 of 17 June 2015, the President of the Supreme Court rejected the second demand for a stay of execution.

Building At Akwa – Douala

The legal battle now went down to the building at Akwa – Douala, which Chief Dr Barrister HNA  Enonchong, bought from Jean Lattale in January 1998 for 180,000, 000 FCFA (One hundred and eighty million francs CFA). It is a ‘storey building’. Rebecca Enonchong occupies the upper floor.  She gave out the ground floor on rents to a telephone company, TECNO, which sublet part to Samsung. It is certain that if Rebecca Enonchong had recognized the step – brother or senior brother, Charles Enonchong as the Administrator of the Enonchong Estate, and discussed with him, Charles would have certainly allowed her to occupy the upper floor of the building. But she refused to do that, and instead opted for fight, apparently counting on her ‘high connections’. The tenant of the ground floor of the building at Akwa – Douala, TECNO, also sided with Rebecca Enonchong, and refused to recognize Prince Charles Enonchong as the proprietor of the building, in his capacity as Administrator of the Enonchong Estate.

Prince Charles Abi Enonchong took the matter on the ownership of the building at Akwa – Douala, to the Court of First Instance at Bonanjo – Douala, demanding the expulsion of TECNO from the building. The case dragged on in court for quite sometimes, as TECNO too also added its force to back Rebecca Enonchong. It looked like TECNO was benefiting from the low rent demanded by Rebecca Enonchong, to encourage the company to stay.

In court, Rebecca Enonchong and her lawyer claimed that the building at Akwa belonged to an American and not to the Enonchong Estate.  But the Administrator of the Enonchong Estate, Charles Enonchong, presented the land certificate of the building, the sale certificate of the building, and the copy of the bank transfer payment document of the sum of 180 million FCFA, that Chief Enonchong paid to the proprietor of the building, Jean Lattale, in January 1998, to take over ownership. In fact the money was paid from the account of one of Chief Enonchong’s enterprise, FRESH FOODS CAMEROON, at the Akwa – Douala Branch of Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon.  Also, the Lattale Family still present inn Douala was willing to testify at any moment.

TECNO Finally Decided To Leave

The long legal battle finally ended with judgment No. 172 /COM of 1^st September 2021, with the Douala court ordering the expulsion of STE TECNO, from the building, for illegal occupation. TECNO however still hung on for sometimes. The company later complained that the rent demanded by Prince Charles Enonchong was too high, and finally decided to leave.

The lawyer of TECNO, Barrister Mbamy, on January 6, 2025 sent a message to Prince Charles Enonchong, to come to the building for a formal handing over of the ground floor of the building and the keys to him, by TECHNO. But when the Administrator of Enonchong Estate, accompanied by some persons arrive the venue, they were surprised that the placed had been blockaded by some private security guards, who would not allow them to enter.  There was a threat to public peace, leading to the  intervention of the DO of Douala 1, who ordered the Commissioner of the 4^th Police District to seal the place and keep the keys of  the building (ground floor).

State Counsel Intervenes   

But to the surprise of  Prince Charles Enonchong, he  realized a few weeks later that the   ground floor of  the building that was vacated by TECNO, had been given out on rents to a businessman from Central African Republic, TAMANI WOHAYO, and that t some work was going on inside the building. When Price Charles Enonchong contacted the Commissioner of the 4^th Police District on the issue, the Commissioner disclosed that he removed the seal and handed over the keys to the new tenant, on the instruction of the State Counsel of the Court of First Instance Bonanjo, Douala, Aristide Effoudou. Ironically, it was the Court of First Instance Bonanjo-Douala, which in the ruling on September 1, 2021, ordered the expulsion of the former tenant, TECNO, from the building, following a complained that was filed by the Administrator of the Enonchong Estate, Prince Charles Enonchong.

In reaction, Prince Charles Abi Enonchong both in the March 11, 2025 press release as well as in his encounter with the press on that day in front of the building in question at Akwa – Douala, strongly condemned the State Counsel of the Court of First Instance at Bonanjo – Douala, Aristide Effoudou, for illegally or fraudulently putting his building on rent. He asserted that such an illegal act shows that Effoudou is not in the post where he is supposed to be, and thus should immediately resign.