K’ba police indicted, as ZoaZoa floods
street corners
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba
 |
| Zoa-zoa trafficking is flourishing in Kumba |
After close to three months that the First
Assistant SDO for Meme, EpoulewaneVerklineMbua launched a crackdown on the sale
of illicit fuel in Fiango, Kumba, confiscating over 5000 littres of the illicit
fuel, "Zoa-Zoa", dealers on
the illicit fuel have gone underground.
The
booming and flourishing trade on illicit fuel The Median gathered has been with
the help of uniform officers in kumba who are in constant underground business
deals with the dealers of the illicit fuel. The dealers have device new
strategies and methods of delivery of the product other than the usual method
where it was brandish on tables beside road sides.
This
reporter equally learnt from the dealers of the illicit fuel that they have as
well change the name of the product from Zoa-zoa to "easy booster"
meanwhile the only containers known to users, mostly bike riders and taxi
drivers are displayed beside the road.
After
investigations The Median learnt that there exist a strong link between dealers
of the illicit fuel and elements of the police force in kumba. According a dealer
of the illicit fuel who pleaded for fhis identify not to be revealed for
obvious reasons, the cost of operating in the zoa-zoa business has increased
over time. He revealed that prior to the
police crackdown in the month of March, they paid FCFA 5000 to some uniform
officers for protection in the business from Mondays to Saturdays. He added
this fee was accompanied by an extra amount for those who sell on Sundays.
Our
interlocutor, an illicit fuel dealer
went further to say many changes have been noticed in the business "at
first we use to pay our protection charges to these security men beside the
road but now they come right to our individual houses to collect this
money" revealed the fuel dealer.
Our source revealed that since the crackdown, the uniform officers have increased the
protection charge levied on them to the sum of FCFA 10000 on a weekly basis.
Asked
if such amounts paid to the uniform officers are accompanied by any receipt for
justifications afterward, our source
said since every transaction surrounding the illicit fuel business is
considered illegal non of the dealers even musters courage to demand for
receipts. He added any attempts to
demand for receipt from the uniform officers will make them suspicious of you
and may belief you will in future want to implicate them. Quizzed on how the
uniform officers take to know all of the dealers, our said before the crackdown
they were given certain numbers and their names registered in a book by the
uniform officers but of recent since the protection charge was been increase no
name or number is given.
During
a recent police crackdown on dealers on illicit fuel in Kumba, the commissioner of the Kumba Central police
station, ELONG Wilson Njumejikang,
challenged anyone who has receipt or proof of paying money to the police to
sell zoazoa to come up and and prove the allegation. The police boss in kumba lamented the fact
that people carry information across neighborhoods without being abreast with
the real details on the ground. Meantime a police officer had equally revealed
that crackdown of illicit products such as fuel by police officers can only be
done with instructions from the hierarchy.
Talking
to reporters after the March 17 crackdown, the First Assistant Senior
Divisional Officer, ASDO, EpoulewaneVerklinMbua, revealed that sale of
illicit fuel had become so rampant in the division and it was done with a lot
of impunity to the danger of the population. She indicated that the crackdown
was within a Prime Ministerial commission charge with handling the situation of
illicit fuel at the level of the regions.
She said all confiscated illicit
fuel is handed to this committee for them to decide on what to do with
it since they have all the technicians.
During
the March 17 crackdown that was limited only to Kumba II sub division, the ASDO,
EpoulewaneVerklinMbua promised further crackdowns in all other parts of
the town and in a bit to discourage and stop the circulation of the product.
She promised collaborating with authoritiesof nearby towns like EkondoTiti and
Mundemba where it is belief the fuel passes through from Nigeria before getting
to kumba. The Meme administration is however still to keep to their promise
three months after and taking to consideration the booming and flourishing
nature of the business that has gone underground with the alledge blessings of
uniform officers.
Petrol stations also in ZoaZoa business
Many
car owners, bike riders and other users of fuel have for some time now alledge
that some fuel stations in kumba have equally join the illicit fuel business.To
these set of persons accusations are rife that major petrol stations
innkumbanoe mixed the illicit fuel in their tanks to serve customers at the
official pump price, thereby reaping off
millions in the process. These persons even say such petrol stations have gone
as far as reusing to sell petrol to anyone who comes to the station with a
transparent container as it will in turn reveal the contain of the product. So many others even say when one makes a stop
over at a petrol station one can get only scent of the illicit zoazoa smelling.
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