By Sah Terence Animbom
The eight sons of the late Nfon Victor Esemingsongo Mukete, former paramount ruler of the Bafaw people in Kumba, South West region of Cameroon have continued to brawl over the estate of their late father since he passed on in April 2021.
Prior to passing on, he carried out a rare or jamias vu kind of traditional transfer of the leadership of his kingdom to one of his sons, now Nfon Ekoko Mukete . His transfer of powers though contested by some family members and members of the Bafaw kingdom is one of the first cases of traditional transfer of power from a living king to a successor. In most traditional settings in Cameroon, the leader of a kingdom is only replaced when the current king dies and not via a transfer of power as in a democracy.
It is however understandable that the late king was quite old as he was above a hundred years and might have lost the capacity to effectively govern his people.
All would have however been fine if his other seven accomplished sons did not start a series of legal battles challenging what they term obscurities in the appointment and transfer of their late father’s estate entirely to one man; the new king of the Bafaw kingdom Nfon Ekoko Mukete.
Before now, there has been much talk about the late king’s Will, the one which the new king says he is guided by as the other sons of the king think the will cannot possibly be a representation of their late father’s dying wishes. They think the Will was forged or manipulated by their brother the king.
Somehow, the seven other sons of the late king were able to fish out another will of the late king dated 24 years back, being certain it is the only authentic Will of their late father.
The SUN Newspaper got access to a writ of summons issued by the lawyer of the new king Barrister Ebah Ntoko Justice calling for the cancellation of what they term a “purported Will”, admitted to probate on the 11/05/2022 titled “My Final Will” and “Codicil to my last Will” dated 28th day of January 1998, given under the hands of Nfon V.E Mukete (Deceased)
In the writ of summons, Nfon Ekoko Mukete claims sole custodianship over the entire estate, lands and assets of the late king while arguing that the Will dated back in 1998 cannot be valid as his late father got married in 2013 to a new wife and thus warranting an edit of his previous will to include the new wife as a beneficiary.
As much as this might be true, the other sons argue that they have not even seen the new Will that the new king refers to and cannot trust such a Will. They hold very firmly that the Will used by the new king is forged.
They wish to see the codicil to the Will that granted Nfon Ekoko Mukete sole rights to all their father’s estates.
Paragraphs 6 and 7 of the writ of summons by Nfon Ekoko Mukete and counsel states that the late king had appointed him as is successor, paramount ruler of the Bafaw people and head of the Mukete’s family, it however does not say clearly if this also meant that his other sons have no entitlements to any of his estates and properties. The writ says a total of 64 landed assets in various locations across Cameroon were handed to him; the king by way of gifts and deeds. The other siblings have however been unable to ascertain the veracity of such claims as they have not themselves laid eyes on any such documents.
Legal luminaries The SUN talked to aver that though the law permits that a man can do a codicil to a previous Will when he eventually gets married to a new wife after the previous Will was established, it doesn’t make it mandatory and the other siblings have all reasons to think that it wasn’t the case with their late father.
The SUN has gathered from a very authentic source that there is first of all a rift between the new king and his elder brother Prince Collins Ebako Mukete, CEO of MTN Cameroon and Spectrum Advertising. We are told the new king was previously employed by his elder brother. However, it seems their work relationship is said to have ended in a sour note and he had only his father to turn to and to do everything to win his confidence.
Our source says he was smart enough to gain the kingmakers of his tribe to his side who apparently eventually convinced his father to change his initial choice from his elder brother Collins to him. The SUN has not independently verified this claim, but it was witnessed that only the new king, his father, the king makers and the population of his tribe were present during an ecumenical service he organized for peace building that turned into a ceremony for the naming of the new king by the late king who was still alive then. His siblings and other key family members were conspicuously absent. It is still not clear if it were for reasons of resentment or circumstances beyond control.
Another alleged rift is said to also exist between the new king and the extended family as some uncles feel that the late king cheated of them of the Mukete family legacy by narrowing it down from the entire extended family to his immediate family, contrary to the initial setup.
All attempts to reach one of the Mukete brothers on phone turned out futile. A court hearing slated for September 29, 2022 is set to redefine the twist of the struggle over the Mukete Family legacy.