Crackdown on illegal churches:

Fake pastors seduce Kumba DO with brown envelopes

By Johnson Batuo in Kumba

The Divisional Officer for Kumba I Subdivision, Fomoumbot Douala Charles, recently began an operation to verify the documents of churches operating in his subdivision to ensure that they are operating in consonance with the laws in force.

 The Median gathered that the DO was accompanied in the exercise by the commissioner of police and the Gendarmarie Brigade Commander of his subdivision.  Also in the DO’s entourage was the representative of the Paramount traditional Ruler of Kumba, TomiscoMboe.

                The crackdown comes on the heels of a recent decision by Yaounde authorities for illegal churches to be identified and closed down.

                However, by press time we could not ascertain how many churches the DO and his team visited and how many were asked to seal their doors. But we were told that at each stop the administration requested the church to produce its authorization documents.

                The Median gathered that the Kumba I administration decided to carry out the exercise on Sunday, given that most Christian churches, except the Sabatharians worship on Sunday. 

                This is not the first time the Kumba administration is carrying out a crackdown on illegal churches.

                Sources say after a similar exercise two years ago, some churches that were asked to close their doors for operating illegally, put together ‘brown envelopes’ which they handed to the DO, thereby sealing his lips.  It is believed that the churches will do the same this time and continue operating illegally. The churches targeted are mostly the Pentecostal churches otherwise called born-again churches.

                City dwellers say it has become a routine for Dos to embark on a crackdown on either churches or bars and pubs this just in a bid to line their pockets with bribes. Many say the DO’s recent move might have been prompted by the pressure of “rentrescolaire”.