Bafia: Civil status officer suspended for violating territorial competence
By Stephen TADAHA
A civil status registration Officer from Awae, a locality in Nkolmetet subdivision in the Centre region has been suspended by the Senior Divisional Officer for Nyong and So’o, for violating his territory of competence by presiding at a wedding in neighboring Bafia.
In a video that has been making rounds on social media recently, the accused whose name we got as Assembe Omgbwa Arsene was caught by the Mayor of Bafia, Mme Marthe Félicité ZINTCHEM à BODIO, while presiding at a wedding on Saturday April 6, 2024 in her area of command. The incident according to the mayor, is not the first of its kind in the area as many cases of wedding celebration infiltrations in her council area have been reported recently.
“It is prohibited for a mayor to celebrate a marriage out of his or her area of competence. It is banned by the law. For some time now I noticed many cases of infiltration in my area of command where many civil status officers come into my zone and sign marriage certificates without my approval and without informing me.” the Mayor can be heard saying in the video.
Saturday’s celebration according to the Mayor, is just one among the many cases in her area of command and the she promised to take legal action by filing competent authorities.
In a notification correspondence on Monday April 8, 2024, to the Centre Regional Governor, the SDO for Nyong and So’o, Emmanuel Ledoux Engamba suspended the Registrar,pending the finalization of investigations which were opened by competent authorities. In the notification, the SDO also revealed that the officer was accompanied at the celebration site by his wife who was handling the Secretariat role instead of Mr OWONA Zang Joseph who is the appointed civil status registration secretary.
