Did Bamenda banker kidnap 21 “Street Children”?

By a reporter in Bamenda with agency reports

Not all children on the street are street children

Michelle Dienne, branch manager of SCB Bank in Bamenda, is being investigated for allegedly kidnapping several children and holding them against their will for over a month in various locations in Bamenda. One big question she must answer is who authorized her to hold people’s children ignoring radio and church announcements by grieving parents about their missing children.

                Michelle has however admitted holding 21 kids but said they are “Street Children”. Records from the Ministry of Social Affairs show that there are no street children in Bamenda.

                Earlier reports in The Voice and other local tabloids were that Michelle and her partners allegedly kidnapped 11 children. But in her complaint against the publisher of The Voice Newspaper, she described herself as “a woman with a big heart” who went around collecting “21 street children” for care.

                She is currently being probed by an investigating magistrate in Bamenda. She also stated in her complaint that with the help of some authorities notably the commissioner of immigration and the delegate of women’s affairs, they were already identifying the parents of the kids to return them home. She also claims that some men took one of the kids to Wum and were arrested for kidnapping.

                Even so, the lady banker went ahead to complain against The Eye for alleged defamation despite the fact that the court is still examining her and others on the offence of kidnapping children – which she is struggling to deny. 

Street children or children on the street?

                Children on the street are not street children. Street children are those living on the streets also known as Nanga Nbokos. Contrarily, children in the street have defined homes from where they sneak out to town early morning, without the knowledge of their parents, do their odd jobs and go back home at night. So there is a clear difference between street children and children on the street.

                So, whoever claims she or he is caring for street children in Bamenda must sure have a tough time proving such. That person must also explain why she would keep children in a room with iron protectors on the windows yet without louvres or shutters! How did the children cope with the cold nights, with an unlocked window?

And for the pastor who owned the building, how could he allow human beings to be kept in such prison-like conditions? Instead of providing regular beds for the kids, the latter slept on two broken refrigerators. At their second location at Metta Quarter, they had dirty mattresses on the bear floor of a nasty room. The question is this that “is this the succor a woman with a “Big Heart” should provide for street kids?”

Rapid intervention

                Meanwhile, gallant police officers of the Mobile Intervention Unit, GMI had arrested Michelle Dienne last year for kidnapping several children. Despite police regulations and ethics, the commissioner of Emi-Immigration, EbakoNtohManyiepouseTambe intervened and released Michelle. She also bailed two others – Abong Judith Bih, former regional delegate of women’s affairs and a certain Philemon Fouabou who was found guarding two of the child captives in a house behind Christal Hotel at Metta Quarter.

                The lady commissioner took the undertaking to produce the suspects anytime need be.

                Now though, Michelle Diene must prove that she was qualified to host street children, even in a region where, according to the ministry of social affairs street children do not exist. Perhaps to help her case she could simply produce an authorization from the ministry of Social Affairs empowering her to carter for street children.

                In fact, to become a partner with the ministry of social affairs one must apply to the divisional delegation of social affairs for an authorization to create a probation home. The ministry is actually encouraging individuals and families to take up this kind of activity according to their means.

                Nevertheless, it emerged that Michelle actually identified herself at the delegation of Social Affairs as a philanthropist funded by the church.  But it is not proven if she ever obtained an authorization?

                Shaken by the kidnap scandal that went viral on the internet, the new minister of social affairs has waded in, officially instructing the regional delegate of social affairs to investigate and report back to her on this jig saw story.

                Another puzzling question is how did the then Delegate of Women’s Affairs and the Family, Abong Judith, get entangled in this palaver, whereas her ministry has no business with street children? Mrs. Abong is now telling whoever wants to listen that she is not an insider in the street children kidnap affair but had merely met them as a resource person.

                The rescued kids however identified her as well as the commissioner of immigration and banker Michelle saying all three women used to visit them at the warehouse where they were held behind bars.

Michelle claims she was taking care of street children, but did she have the technical qualification to manage socially maladjusted children? Does the ministry of social affair issue authorizations to individuals for this activity? The answer is a fat no! Individuals can only obtain authorization to manage little children – that is to run orphanages. And in this case, little children are those aged 0-3 years.

                Besides there are only four centres for socially maladjusted children in the whole country located in Betamba in the East Region; Maroua in the Far North; Bostal Institute in Buea and Home Atelier in the Littoral.

                What’s more such institutions must be properly equipped and staffed with social workers and technicians qualified to handle socially maladjusted children. They would include teachers, nurses, physiotherapists, and physical education experts. Did the Bamenda ladies fulfill these conditions?

                (Check out the prime minister’s decree No 200/110/PM of March 2001 on the organization and functioning of government institutions catering for young children (day care centres).