By Nchendzengang Tatah
The crowned heads of Buea came out dressed in black on Saturday, June 21, to pay tribute to their peer, Chief Maliva Monoke Andreas of Elimbi, whose reign was cut short at the age of 42.
Andreas Maliva served in the elite force, BIR, and rose to the rank of second lieutenant, a position he held at the time of his death.
He was killed on duty by a separatist-planted IED in Muyuka subdivision on Monday, May 5, 2025.
The Buea Chiefs Conference represented by its head, HRM Ikome Philip Mokwa of Wokeka village, expressed shock at the loss. As he carried out rites in honour of the deceased at the family residence in Bova, he described the fallen leader as agile and resourceful.
Chief Mokwa recollected the efforts of Chief Maliva in patrolling through hard-hit communities of the subdivision, whose chiefs are displaced in capacity as officers of law and order. “… Some of us have been away for a long time without going to our communities. He ensured that he went to those communities, and gave us a lot of feedback on what the situation was in the communities,” Chief Mokwa recalled.
He further eulogised the fallen ruler for his commitment to the conference through contributions and goodwill gestures. “We of the Buea Chiefs Conference hereby address our heartfelt condolences to the forces of law and order where he worked and to the entire family that he has left behind,” he said.
The Buea Chiefs Conference President, HRM Mokwa, was optimistic that peace was gradually returning to the hit areas of the subdivision and with the collaboration of his peers, the area was to break free from insecurity tied to the ongoing socio-political instability plaguing the North West and South West regions.
“Total peace will come when we as chiefs, understand each other. I think that we have to bring peace, but not when we are on parallel lines. However, I am convinced that the Chiefs that I know, that I have been put to lead, will and already are working in collaboration to ensure that total peace reigns,” Chief Mokwa noted.
A father of four children, Chief Maliva Monoke was born on June 22, 1983, to a father of Bova 1 origin and a mother from Great Soppo, all in the Buea Subdivision. His remains following the funeral rites of June 21, were taken for burial in Elimbi on the outskirts of Buea.
