Around the Bastos neighbourhood of Yaoundé , which is a neighbourhood inhabited mostly by top government officials and diplomats, those dictating the rules on how thieves or Armed Robbers have to be handled, whenever they are arrested are not the inhabitants of Bastos proper. But the poor who are living in the valleys of the posh neighbourhood, for the poor who live in the valley don’t want their employers who live at the summit to be robbed, for it will cut or deny them their life line. The valley around Bastos neighbourhood in Yaoundé is the place of the poor. It is a part where torrential rains often carry away the habitats of its occupants and also where when people are at sleep, they can easily be observed by those passing by because, their houses are built with poor materials.
None native thieves or armed robbers, arrested in any neighbourhood in Yaoundé are never well treated. But if the non native thief or armed robber apprehended was of Bamileke nationality or tribe, he or they will be killed instantly. Why? Simply because, the other nationalities or tribes are jealous of Bamilekes who are often rich business men and women, hence it is beyond comprehension that one Bamileke should be a thief. Some even think, Bamileke thieves or armed robbers do carryout their act to increase their wealth and also an attempt to deny others of prosperity. I don’t need to tell you that it is wrong, for just as there are bad people in all Cameroonian nations or tribes, so also must Bamilekes, no matter how good, humble, friendly and hard working they are. Risdoh’s brother who was a thief was lucky.
He was lucky because, he was neither Bamileke nor Bassa, so his life was often spared whenever he was arrested. His life was always spared and he was always handed over to the Police after having been paraded naked. Shame had deserted the man. For he had no dignity, no matter how many times that he was paraded naked and made news paper, radio and television headlines, he still went back to his profession: thief. His life was always spared because he was Ewondo. In the English-speaking regions of Cameroon, unknown thieves or thieves that are not from the region are always arrested and handed to the Police. But native thieves, that had the ill luck to be apprehended by the vigilante groups that patrol streets of various neighbourhoods. They will be tied with ropes on a vertical rod and car wheels thrown around him or them, from their feet to their heads. After which, fuel is poured on him or them, then set alight.
The reasons why there is mob justice in Cameroon’s two regions is because, the public doesn’t have any iota of confidence in the Police or the judicial system, for they are too corrupt. While one of Risdoh’s brother was a thief and his life was always spared because he was Ewondo and also because he choose to still around his neighbourhood, her other brother by name Messamena, was a footballer. But he was playing with a division two football team in Yaoundé called Diamond Football Club, but her glorious days in Cameroonian soccer had long gone, since its chairman became a born again Christians and invested his finances in heaven rather than on earth.
And because Diamond Football club’s chair was relying on Jesus Christ to take his team to the premier league rather than monies as he used to do, the club was at the bottom of division two and was ready to dive into the hell of the Centre provincial division three championships. This made the prospects of Messamena , Risdoh’s other brother, to ever play with elite division one or Premier league teams such as Canon of Yaoundé, Tonnerre of Yaoundé, Union of Douala or PWD Bamenda elusive. For playing with those top flight Cameroonian division one teams opens the prospects of going to play in Europe, the paradise of Cameroonian footballers. In regard to the condition of Risdoh’s brothers, one being an armed robber and the other an unpromising footballer, the family of Risdoh and their mother Noako had no hopes on them.
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