Fako Division: Land-grabbers disregard court rulings, encroach on CDC land again!.

 It is said to be the handiwork of land-grabbers who are said have defied court pronouncements and decisions from the Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure, confirming that the said piece of land belongs to the agro industrial company.

After touring the encroached land in Ombe, Tiko Subdivision, on July 29, 2025, the General Manager, GM, of CDC, Franklin Ngoni Njie, expressed shock.

He condemned the encroachment and illegal possession of CDC land in Ombe, Tiko Subdivision. He warned perpetrators to back out. The GM explained that parts of the land belonging to the CDC are being occupied without authorisation. 

The situation, he said, has led to the destruction of some CDC property and the displacement of some of its workers. 

While on the parcel of land measuring 1.8 hectares, the GM said the traditional ruler of Mevio Mebenge village, HRM Chief Ndiko Fonderson, is behind the latest attack on CDC property.

Anglophone crisis IDPs, others rendered homeless 

The GM explained that the piece of land in question had 11 temporary blocks of houses, with each having four rooms. He stated that the roofs of the houses were destroyed, with the occupants mostly CDC workers, and Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, of the Anglophone crisis rendered homeless.

The Ngoni Njie-led CDC team spotted only dresses, beddings and other household equipment abandoned in the destroyed houses. The General Manager said he was taken aback by the report from his subordinates and what he witnessed on the ground. 

He explained that his frustration was not just about the losses but also because something like the rule of law was being infringed upon. 

“I am taken aback because individuals, no matter how strong they may be, would challenge the state of law because it is a call for concern,” Ngoni Njie stated.

Latest squabble in context

The GM put the blame of the latest incident at the doorsteps of Chief Ndiko Fonderson. He narrated that the traditional ruler was a beneficiary of a land surrender adjacent the disputed parcel.

The GM explained that Meveo Mebenge village, through its traditional ruler, had asked the government to surrender its population's land. The government, he stated, relinquished close to 40 hectares of land, but the piece of land in question was left to one day host a security post. 

“The need for security forces here, whether police, gendarmerie or military, to establish in this area was the reason we left this piece of land here,” the GM insisted.

He disclosed that before now, the Chief had tried to forcefully drive CDC from the land, through the courts and the Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure.

Despite the moves, Ngoni Njie said CDC was able to prove that the parcel was not part of the 40 hectares surrendered to Meveo Mebenge village.

“We have proven beyond doubt in the courts and the Ministry of State Property and Land Tenure that this piece of land was not included in the original land surrender,” the GM declared, emphasising that: “It was a strategic decision not to include this piece of land in the surrender, which is why it is funny that we are facing this problem”.

CDC still counting on State authority, institutions…

Beyond the brazen disrespect of what the GM said are court decisions and rulings of the Ministry of State property on the issue, which are being disrespected, he stated the Corporation’s confidence in the State.

“We have confidence that the State of law will remain lawful. I believe that the law will reign supreme at the end of it all. We count on the State, and we know it will remain the supreme authority here,” the General Manager stated.

Board of Directors never approved land

Further clarifying the situation, CDC Land Officer, Kebbi Ekwile, insisted that the 1.8-hectare plot has never been authorised for surrender by the Board of Directors of the CDC.

He explained that the Land Consultative Board prepared Chief Fonderson’s land certificate in line with its powers concerning national land within the authority of the Divisional Officer, DO. 

The Land Consultative Board, he said, has nothing to do with CDC land. As at the time we went to press attempts to get to Chief Fonderson for comments on the issue were futile.

Chief Fonderson denies accusation

Contacted by The Guardian Post, via a telephone exchange, the traditional ruler of Meveo Mebenge village, HRM Chief Ndiko Fonderson, denied any wrongdoing, insisting that his community has all the documents backing its ownership of the disputed land. 

“We have all the legitimate documents that give us access into that piece of land; both from the administration and the judiciary. If the General Manager of CDC prefers to go to the media, instead of to the administration or the judiciary, those who are wise enough can understand that something is typically wrong somewhere,” Chief Fonderson told The Guardian Post. 

He also brandished pictures, showing people whom he said were occupants of the destroyed houses, collecting transport to remove their properties from the buildings.

'We can't be destroying what the State is trying to build'

Chief Fonderson’s claims notwithstanding, a prominent Fako elite, who pleaded to remain anonymous, said he finds it extremely difficult to understand "how an individual can afford the luxury of putting himself above the collective interest of the country and Fako Division in particular".

"It is no longer about the CDC," he said, adding that "the very fact that the CDC head office and more than 90% of its plantation and structures are in Fako, calls for any bona fide son of this Division to support, not frustrate government's efforts to restructure the corporation".

While questioning why Chief Fonderson embarked on destruction of the properties on the said land, without first of all engaging the management of the CDC, for peaceful resolution of the matter, the elite wondered aloud: "Where have we kept our consciences?" 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3520 of Thursday July 31, 2025