Fako lawyers acting under its umbrella organisation (FAKLA) have resolved that Tiko Divisional Officer, D.O, Patrick Che Ngwashi, must face the courts for notoriety in detaining lawyers.

He is being indicted by the lawyers for illegally detaining two of theirs – Barrister Samuel Ashu Besong and his colleague-in-chambers, Barrister Eric Forsack. The D.O had them detained for having their offices opened when they were supposed to have them locked down in observance of the weekly clean-up ritual called “Keep Tiko Clean,” Monday, May 18.

Barrister Besong told reporters relating to the incident that on that Monday, at 11:20am, he was in his office with a client when suddenly, he heard unusual noise in his secretariat.

“When I went out, I discovered that it was the Commissioner of Police. What is the problem? I asked him. The commissioner asked me why my office was open. ‘Don’t you know today is community labour? It must be closed.’ I reminded him that this is a law chambers and that he cannot just close the office of a lawyer without going through procedure. He said the surroundings where we have close to 10 offices were not clean. I told him the surrounding he was talking on was that of Orange Cameroun, but that if he wanted the surroundings cleaned, I’ll get somebody to do the job. I immediately called my secretary to effect the clean up, even the client I was talking to joined my secretary.”

Given that the DO had now joined the Commissioner of Police, Besong continues, “The DO said he was still going to close my office because he met it open and that the order is that since it is community labour, everywhere must be closed. My collaborator told him he cannot close the office because as a DO, he doesn’t have the powers to close the office. In order to exercise his powers, he called in the First Deputy Mayor and ordered that the office be closed.”

The barrister said given that the office in question was his, he could not move into the streets while his office is sealed.

“I went in and sat down. He closed me inside with my secretary and my colleague-in-chambers. We were locked up till about 12:24pm. With the help of social media, I communicated with my colleagues who came and caused the door to be opened.”

The lawyers held an emergency meeting and a decision was taken that they meet the DO and demand an apology.

As early as 8:00am the following day, lawyers filled every available space at the D.O’s office with placards denouncing the highhandedness with which he handled the matter.

In a closed door meeting in the D.O’s office with representatives of the lawyers and some traditional rulers serving as mediators, the D.O refused to apologise.

Lawyers who were part of the closed door meeting said he kept on insisting that as D.O, he cannot apologise, but that as an individual, he feels that the event was unfortunate.

Because the D.O will not apologise, the lawyers again met in a meeting shortly after and resolved that the matter be tabled before the Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) for Fako as a matter of respect for hierarchy.

In Limbe later that afternoon, the Fako SDO begged the lawyers to suspend any further action, pending a meeting between him (the SDO) and the Tiko D.O. The SDO promised to get back to the lawyers.

Speaking to the press after the series of meetings, the President of FAKLA, Barrister Felix Agbor Nkongho (alias Agbor Balla) said the DO trampled on the fundamental human rights of the lawyers when he detained them. He wondered what would have happened if a fire disaster had engulfed the building at the time it was locked. He also wondered aloud what would have become of the lawyers if such a scenario took place.

Though a committee headed by Barrister Benjamin Enoh Agbor was put in place to constitute a suit against the Tiko D.O, Agbor Balla did not rule out the possibility of charges that could include among others things, attempted murder, forced imprisonment and violation of human rights.

The chiefs were disappointed at the fact that they could not reconcile the warring factions, though Chief Kombe Ndike, president of the Tiko Chiefs’ Conference said dialogue will continue.

When reporters approached the DO for a statement, an apparently bitter D.O Che Ngwashi retorted; “Am I the one who brought you here? Make news from the lawyers.” He then ordered his door to be shut, barring the reporters who wanted to question him further.