After Lifanda in Limbe: Nnoko Mbele In Kumba & Abel Ndeh in Bamenda Next Target

After the verdict slamming Samuel Ebiema Lifanda, former Government Delegate to the defunct Limbe urban council, to reimburse some 162 million FCFA to the state, his other colleagues in Bamenda and Kumba, have not been at ease. Last weekend Chronicle learnt that the supreme state audit had just begun a process that would ensue to check other city councils, including Bamenda, where Sanjou Tadzong Abel Ndeh was the Governmetn Delegate. Also, the Kumba urban council, where Cavin Nnoko Mbele governed affairs for 14 years as a private estate. Chronicle learnt that although state auditors had a few years ago probed into the files of both officials, there has been the need for the process to be taken over again.

As for the case of Abel Ndeh, he was arrested and detained at the Bamenda central prison in January 2010. His arrest was triggered by funds meant for the construction of the council chambers at Mulang, which he personally did withdrawals, whereas he was not the Treasurer. Ndeh had initially been queried by the then North West paymaster general to restitute the sum of 188.466.768 FCFA. A certain Alexis Tchakonte had even led a team to probe Ndeh. The former Bamenda delegate, had since been discharged from prison, yet, Chronicle gathered that other files still haunt him. These are files Chronicle is still investigating on.

For Cavin Nnoko Mbele, Chronicle gathered that his anomalies were in plenty, yet, he survived by grace of chief Ephraim Inoni, who was Prime Minister and Head of Government. But with Inoni having been dismissed and now awaiting trial at Kondengui, Nnoko has no protégé and thus must go-in for the crimes he committed in Kumba.

The ‘Kumba strongman’, Caven Nnoko Mbele has had his own fair share of power over the population of Kumba. For 14 years running he was Government Delegate and became a semi God, passing with an unprecedented aura of superiority. And as the years went by, Nnoko became unpopular and dictatorial. Worst of all he became exceedingly corrupt. Numerous audit teams found him wanting, yet he remained a braggart often making overtures to the media to announce his wealth, which on the whole was ill gotten. Before his dismissal, he still nursed ambitions of being retained as government Delegate at the worse or at the best to enter government. This accounted for his lobbying and nocturnal visits to fetish doctors. But the bomb fell and Nnoko Mbele suffered its devastating rippling effects. President Biya must have considered the following points highlighted by audits of Nnoko’s tenure to flush him.

It is on record that Nnoko Mbele declared in an edition of the Post Newspaper that his wealth could amount half a billion. And he obtained this wealth through the awarding of contracts to himself. He awarded a FCFA 15 million contact to himself to repaint the walls of the Kumba town green and FCFA 8 million to erect barricades there. The reconstruction of the Customary Court amounted to FCFA 200 million and he collected the money and sublet the contract to Epie Ekale. The finance building in Kumba was demolished and reconstructed by Nnoko at the cost of FCFA 80 million and the contract never passed through the tender’s board. The Kumba Urban Council equipment pool was allegedly bought by Nnoko at FCFA 200 million with astronomical custom duties paid, yet many hold that the equipment pool was a gift from foreign donors. In a petition from Augustine Tabe prior to the July 22 polls, Nnoko withdrew FCFA 50 million from council coffers through fake bills. And he awarded a contract of FCFA 35 millions to himself under a ghost name to build market sheds in Kumba.