Tiko Subdivision: CDC GM decries encroachment into corporation’s land, destruction of palms.

Ngoni Njie voiced his frustration during a visit to the site of a piece of land ceded to the Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR, of the military to construct a logistics base. 

Speaking to the press during a visit to the area Tuesday March 5, the CDC General Manager said: “On January 11, 2024, the Senior Divisional Officer (of Fako) informed us that we should take part in a site board commission meeting to identify a parcel of land of three hectares to host a BIR logistics base”.

The piece of land, he disclosed, was eventually identified in Tiko Subdivision, around Ombe. Experts were immediately brought in to carry out demarcation and designation of the piece of land. Three hectares of land were eventually offered to the BIR to construct a logistics base.

The BIR authorities, Ngoni Njie recounted further, took possession of the land immediately and went ahead to bulldoze the three hectares that were designated for that purpose. 

The speed of the land demarcation and possession, the GM said, was because of the urgency of the need for the land as laid out by the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of Fako Division.

Thus, the visit of the General Manager and his team was a result of a hint he got on Thursday February 29, as to some irregularities surrounding the land surrendered to BIR. 

Speaking to the press, Ngoni Njie said he made a report to the Legion Commander of the Gendarmerie for South West to express the need for an investigation on the land surrendered to BIR, after he was hinted about the irregularities.

While the gendarmerie was carrying out their investigation, the GM said he came to the ground to do an internal assessment of his staff to see if there was any complacency. 

“…we cannot keep pointing fingers but have to see what the problem is and see where our responsibility may be called in,” he added.

After a tour of the piece of land in question, Franklin Njie explained the situation to journalists. 

“We have seen that beyond the three hectares that were identified and demarcated for the BIR logistics base, there has been an illegal felling of a good number of trees. 

Wants perpetrators to face justice 

Ngoni Njie added that the destruction of more than 400 palm trees is a great loss to the state corporation, which is second highest employer after government. He expressed the desire to see the perpetrators brought to book after the gendarmerie investigation. 

“It is bad for the corporation when we lose this number of trees illegally, because there is no basis for this destruction that has happened. We are hopeful that the gendarmerie will use its competence to identify the persons who are responsible for this happening and bring them to take their responsibility,” he said.

While the issue of the land is being investigated, local farmers could be seen clearing the area to plant corn and egussi. 

Most of the farmers claimed having no knowledge of who destroyed the palms or say who authorised them to farm on the said piece of land.

CDC, victim of recurrent land encroachment 

It should be noted that this is not the first time the CDC, which activities have been greatly affected by the crisis in the North West and South West Regions, is seeing some of its leasehold lands being encroached into. 

This was the case with its leasehold land in the Bota oil palms nursery at Mile Two, Limbe, Fako Division of the South West Region. 

Another case was in April 2022, when there was wrangling between the CD and some persons in Tiko, who are said to have constituted themselves into what they term Tiko Village Community. 

The villagers had been claiming that some parcels of CDC land had been ceded to them. The CDC General Manager had cautioned the public against selling and buying of the corporation’s leasehold lands in Tiko.