Rights group to investigate bail charges in police stations

BY TALLA AGHAA CHRISTOPHER
Any Cameroonian who visits court premises, police and gendarme stations will read on their notice boards that “Bail is Free”. But to secure the release of any person detained for having committed an offence, the applicants pass through serious hurdles, with the only best option being to bargain with the investigator or prosecutor – who will then demand for the sum of FCFA 25000 as bail fees whereas it is boldly written and pasted on the notice board that “bail here is free”. The SUN gathered that the situation has degenerated since lawyers of the North West and South West regions began their strike on October 2016.
It is against this backdrop that during the official launching ceremony of the activities of Human Rights Defense Forum, HRDF in Kumba on Thursday, June 22, 2017, various guest speakers at the occasion called on the human rights outfit to investigate into this very disturbing issue and forward their reports to authorities for commensurate sanctions against the perpetrators.
The Vice President of the Tiko Court of First Instance cum Examining Magistrate, Justice Akpo Esambe, in his paper titled ‘The Defects of the Criminal Procedure Code, CPC and its effects on Human Rights’ elucidated that the code   places mechanism in the promotion and protection of Human Rights. He however regretted that those called upon to implement the law as it is have taken delight to violate the rights of many, especially rights of those in detention. He opined that the law prescribes 48 hours for somebody to be detained and after which the person is presented to the legal department for the state counsel to decide their fate. But the common practice is that some judicial police officers keep detainees for longer periods, allegedly to force them to pay FCFA 25000 as bail fees.

Participants pose for a family photo after the Kumba workshop
Participants pose for a family photo after the Kumba workshop

Justice Akpo, amongst other issues, called on the HRDF to do their best to combat all these human rights violations.
On his part, Dr Asonganyi Etienne talked on the medical practice in relation to human rights. He equally urged the organization to take a closer look at the violations of the rights of patients by nurses and medics at the level of the hospitals and denounce same.
Chief Justice Gang George Foncham, President of the Court of Appeal for the Far North Region, though absent, his paper on the Juvenile Delinquency and its effects on Human Rights was however delivered by Justice Akpo Esambe.
Barrister Awutah Philip Atubah, for MELA President admonished the organization to work very hard to rid Kumba of Human Rights violations.
The Executive Director of the HRDF, Barrister Kenu Valentine reassured that with the collaboration of the general public, the violation of human rights in Kumba will be a thing of the past.
Human Rights Defense Forum is a non Governmental Organisation with headquarters in Kumba. The organization has Bessem Lodiana Ndip as the Director for Administrative and Finance, Barrister Asu Alfred as the Director for Public Relation and  Ngoasong in charge of Gender and Children Rights.

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