GAROUA : RAVAGED GRAVES BY UNIDENTIFIED BEINGS

An odious act has shaken the peace and prosperity of the city of Garoua, located in the North region of Cameroon, where approximately fifty graves have been ravaged at the Djadjé municipal cemetery. The perpetrator, as yet unidentified, claims to be the owner of a one-hectare plot of land on the burial site, causing outrage among local residents.

Following this shocking incident, the Divisional Officer of the Bénoué department instructed the Mayor of Garoua, Goura Beladji, to go to the site with his colleagues and the bailiff, Justin Djidjigman to establish the facts. In just two days, the perpetrator of this despicable act destroyed 12 tombs covering more than a hectare of the Djadjé municipal cemetery. The destruction was strongly condemned by the local population.

“This act is reprehensible. Destroying the graves of the dead, the perpetrator must be punished. So the authorities need to keep a close eye on this to avoid any uprisings by the local population”, says head of the administrative and financial affairs department of the Garoua urban community, Boubakari Maman Bello.

The Mayor of Garoua, Goura Beladji, who responded quickly to the instructions of the Benoue Divisional Officer, went to the site to assess the situation. He took it upon himself to get to the bottom of the matter to identify the person responsible for this scandalous act.

The case has sparked lively debate in the town of Garoua, fuelling concern and questions about the real motives behind this act. Under article 274 of the Cameroon Penal Code, the violation of tombs and corpses is severely punished, with a prison sentence of between three months and five years and a fine of between 10,000 and 100,000 francs for anyone violating tombs or graves, or desecrating all or part of a human corpse, buried or unburied. The community is now waiting for the courts to shed full light on this shocking desecration.

Delia Nyadi