Liberia: Ex-Diplomat’s Widow Evicted from Cameroonian Embassy Property without Prior Notice
by Lennart Dodoo
MONROVIA – The late Rev. Shadrack Biyaga Mbock and his wife, Mrs. Bendu Mbock had spent all their lives during the war in Liberia ensuring that the Cameroonian government’s properties in Liberia were safe and retained. Rev. Mbock was left as the caretaker when the car erupted in 1990 up to 2008, but today, Mrs. Mbock, now a widow, is homeless – no recognition or pity from the government she and her husband labored for.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, ldodoo@frontpageafricaonline.com
The eviction, according to information gathered by FrontPageAfrica was effected without any prior notice to the widow. She was evicted by the new Cameroonian Ambassador, Beng’ Yela Agustine Gang, through the court.
FrontPageAfrica further gathered that Amb. Gang’s decision was based on an agreement he had entered into with a Lebanese businessman identified as Salah Farhat.
The the now demolished properties, which were built by the late Rev. Mbock, on the land of the Cameroonian government which he was taking care of, included, a house valued at US$25,000 and a shop valued at US$35,000. These structures which were built Rev. Mbock and his family lived in for years before his demise in 2013 has now been demolished after the sudden eviction without any compensation to the widow.
The Genesis
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He was also a French teacher at the College of West Africa in Monrovia
On September 17, 1990 during ferocious fighting in Monrovia, the former Cameroonian Ambassador to Liberia, Victor Ndibah, during his departure due to the war left the late Rev. Shadrack Biyaga Mbock, also a Cameroonian, in charge of his residence in Congo Town behind Lone Star Cell and two parcels of land located on the Capitol By-Pass and 8th Street, Sinkor.
Rev. Mbock and his family lived in the Ambassador’s residence for eight years, protecting the residence and the other two parcels of land. At the residence, Rev. Mbock and his family lived in constant fear and safety for their lives as they were humiliated and several times held at gun point by rebels that looted the premises.
On several occasions, Rev. Mbock was taken to court by one Mrs. Kabah who told him that the property belonged to her and at that time there was no communication between Rev. Mbock and Amb. Victor Ndibah due to the war.
While they were at the residence, they received several complaints of people trying to encroach on the Capitol By-Pass and 8th Street properties. And being a school teacher with a family of 10, Rev. Mbock, could not afford taking up cases in court every now and then.
Therefore, he entered into a goodwill trust with one Hassan Wanzi, a Lebanese businessman to sell used cars on land situated on the By-Pass to stop intruders.
The agreement was, however, breached by Wanza, aka Flomo, by subleasing the property to Mr. Chea Cheapo of Euro Logging Company, now to Mila and Milan Used Cars.
It was enshrined in the agreement that should the Cameroonian government decide to reopen her Embassy in Monrovia, a one-year notice would be given to Hassan to vacate the premises.
In 1999, Rev. Mbock and his family finally got evicted from the Ambassador’s Congo Town residence by Mrs. Kabah through a court action. He then decided to move to the Embassy’s Capitol By-Pass property situated between Orange head office and the old Gender Ministry.
He managed to reclaim the land where he built a house and a store for his family.
Promised Compensation
On Aug 8, 2008, a delegation from Cameroon visited Liberia headed by the former Ambassador Victor Ndibah. Te delegation headed to the College of West Africa on Ashmun Street where Rev. Mbock had just ended one of his French classes.
With excitement and great relief, Rev. Mbock welcomed the delegation and accompanied them to his Capitol By-Pass residence where they had dinner. There, the former Ambassador thanked Rev. Mbock for his services rendered to the government and people of Cameroon in his absence and promised that he would be rewarded in cash and kind.
When Ambassador Ndibah and delegation departed Liberia for Cameroon, it wasn’t too long when the Ministry of Internal Relations in Cameroon contacted Rev. Mbock again and told him that a new Ambassador, Beng’ Yela Agustine Gang, was coming to Liberia and that he Rev. Mbock should look for a new residence for the new Ambassador which of course he did.
Amb. Gang, however, rejected the new residence upon his arrival in 2008. He also informed Rev. Mbock that he was not going to work with him.
All of the work that was done in Liberia from 1985 to 2008 prior to Rev. Mbock death in 2013 December 23 was recorded in a journal that include the land deeds, communications between the late Rev. Mbock and the Ministry of External Relations in Cameroon, Letters from the Foreign Ministry in Liberia to Rev. Mbock, receipts of documents from the archives that verified the Cameroon government claims in Liberia, legal documents as well as the Embassy documents.
Rev. Mbock kept all these documents and with good faith presented it to the new Ambassador Beng’ Yea Augustine Gang to help facility his work in Liberia smoothly.
To Rev. Mbock surprise when he presented the documents to Ambassador Gang, he told Rev. Mbock that he was acting more than an Ambassador in the absent of the former Ambassador Victor Ndibah not as appreciation but condemnation.
Every effort by Rev. Mbock to try to convince Ambassador Gang to fully repossess all of the Cameroonian government properties in Liberia was left in suspense and all the 20 years of service by Rev. Mbock was nullified by Ambassador Gang.
Rev. Mbock was left frustrated and depressed as every effort by him to gain contact Yaounde and inform them of the Ambassador’s unwillingness to work with him was reportedly blocked by Ambassador Gang.
Rev. Mbock passed away on December 22, 2013 at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center.