By DOH JAMES SONKEY IN YAOUNDE
After the banning of all activities of the All Anglophone Consortium by the government, another Consortium has curiously emerged in Cameroon dubbed the Consortium of Parents dragging Roman Catholic officials in the North West Region to court for the none-resumption of schools in this part of the country.
Catholic Bishops, Principals and Reverend Sisters have written to the various Catholic Churches in Cameroon especially in the two English Speaking regions asking them to pray for the clergymen and women after they received a summon from a group of parents under the Umbrella of Consortium of Parents to appear before the Bamenda Court of First Instance on Friday April 21, 2017 by 9 am.
In a direct summons to appear before the Court of First Instance Bamenda on 21 April 2017 served the Archbishop of Bamenda Diocese, Cornelus Fontem Esua, the Auxiliary Bishop of Bamenda, Michael Bibi, the Bishop of Kumbo who is President of BAPEC, George Nkuo, the Principal of Sacred Heart College Mankon, Father Michael Kintang, the Principal of St BEDES College Ashong-Kom, Father Williams Neba, the Principal of Our Lady of Lourdes Mankon, Sister Mary Nkendjie and the Roman Catholic Church as owner of the various Roman Catholic Academic Institutions in the North West Region by the Consortium of Parents whose children are in various mission academic institutions represented by Colonel Tamambang and Lt Colonel Terence Sama, seven charges are levied against these men of God. The Consortium of Parents will be defended in court by Barrister Achu Julius Ngu Tabe.
Informing the clergy, consecrated men and women and Christ’s lay faithful of the Bamenda Archdiocese of this situation in a letter addressed them during the Easter Holy Weak celebration, Archbishop Cornelus Fontem Esua and Auxiliary Bishop Michael Miabesue Bibi explained that “the seven charges levied against us include that, we Bishops have failed to ask parents to send their children back to school or to cause the deposit of school fees paid into an escrow account despite the notice served on 1/3/2017, we signed a joint communiqué on 9/2/2017 in concertation with others to the effect that the non-resumption of schools is as a result of an unsolved political problem, we have caused the non-payment of the salaries of teachers in mission schools for some time now depriving the State of the necessary tax deductions, we have for some months now, after collecting school fees, refused to teach, feed and accommodate students in schools, we have refused to either teach their children or refund the school fees pursuant to the notice served 1/3/2017.”
The letter equally reads that the Bishops are accused of signing a communiqué on 9/2/2017 that propagates false information liable to injure public authorities and national unity as in the communiqué they expressed their satisfaction on “what we claim to be grievances or apprehensions as being evident, thus attempting to justify such grievances and apprehensions which are carried out against the security of the state.”
The Civil Claimant is therefore claiming the sum of 150.000.000 FCF5, One Hundred and Fifty Millions Francs CFA for special and general damages from the Catholic Church which is the employer of the accused.
Observers hold that the summon and entire process might have a hidden commanding hand as the Bishops doubt the existence of the persons leading the said “Consortium of Parents”