Cameroonian couple linked to questionable UK immigration practices

By Nchendzengang Tatah

At the threshold of the first quarter of 2025, with high expectations for rainfall, many are not excited about the season shift. To them, it is just another capsule of time giving way in the wait for a refund after a failed travel to the United Kingdom, UK.

Among these is Womei Lincy Chituh. Whose marriage is near the rocks, even though she, in the last two months, gave birth to a newborn baby. Chituh, a mother of three, has yet to fully repay a loan of seven million ( 8800 pounds)- at a monthly interest rate of 125,000 FCFA, she and her spouse contracted to secure her immigration to the UK. The wait for fair play from the UK-based immigration agent, Mesumbe Epiewane, turns eight months in April 2025.

Epiewane is a man of Cameroonian roots based in the UK. He is alleged by Chituh to be married to social media influencer and philanthropist Wuljung Christy Newuh, who is widely known as “Mama Atalaku” on social media platforms. Chituh explained her trust for the pair was solidified since Newuh hails like her from Kom, a first-class fondom in Boyo, North West region. Chituh sustained that the couple had assured her of her travel to the UK upon a deposit of seven million FCFA( 8800 pounds). This was only agreed upon after Chituh agreed to be paired as wife to another man, Thomas, her immigration husband.

(We are told that these immigration agents do this to facilitate travel for people they collect money from.) This means that for two persons to be paired as a “couple,” they will cough out the sum of 14 million FCFA to the couple.

Thomas Tanduh Abungwi is another Cameroonian who intends to relocate to the UK. Unlike Chituh, he was based in Abu Dhabi at the time of contacting Epie for immigration work in June 2023. The 37-year-old completely paid off his charged cost of seven million in August 2023 after taking residence in Bamenda from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). His income following residence in Bamenda since then has dwindled significantly from the approximately 700,000 FCFA he earned in the UAE. The father of three had hoped to better his lot on UK soil.

Document forgery

Months into the process, UK immigration authorities demanded a TB test from Tanduh within three working days. According to messages that CNA can confirm to have seen, Epiewane sent the TB test results the same day. He had, at previous times, assured Tanduh not to worry about that. Upon contacting the UK Home Office in January 2024 after waiting beyond three weeks, as notified by an October session, the Home Office indicated that the company that was to employ Tanduh was under investigation and risked its license being revoked. It was on February 16 that another piece of information came in, stating that the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) – a digital record assigned by a UK employer with a sponsor license, confirming that a foreign worker meets the requirements for a UK work visa – issued him was invalid since the company was inexistent.

What is the cost of CoS?

A CNA research shows that the cost of a Certificate of Sponsorship by April 2025 cost £525 for skilled workers and this fee is paid by the company employing the worker and NOT the employee.

On April 9, this fee was also confirmed by Davidson Morris, who specialises on UK issues on his website, “Arguably the most significant change for employers is the 120% rise in the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) fee for Skilled Workers, jumping from £239 to £525. Temporary Worker CoS fees will also more than double, from £25 to £55. Most other visa categories, including Skilled Worker applications and sponsor licence fees, will increase by around 7%. The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) fee will rise from £10 to £16 per traveller, equivalent to a 60% hike.” Morris wrote.

During the findings, CNA understood that employers cannot pass this cost on to the employee. It is illegal for an employer to ask a prospective employee to pay for the CoS. Any individuals or agencies demanding payment for a CoS are likely involved in fraudulent activities.

There are also costs associated with the Sponsor Licence that employers need to obtain to be able to issue CoS. These costs vary depending on the size and type of the organisation. Additionally, there’s the Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) that sponsoring employers might have to pay, depending on the visa type and the size of their organisation. Again, these are costs for the employer, not the employee.

So why have agents been demanding huge sums of money from potential beneficiaries of this scheme? This is not an isolated case; in neighboring Nigeria, there have been scandalous cases where agents collect money from victims and never issue them the CoS. Some will issue, but when the victims arrive UK, there is no work for them.

In several outings after Womei Lincy Chituh cried her lungs out on social media, the couple confirmed that they did business with many Cameroonians, some traveled and more than 37 others did not travel and needed refund, but this money they said was not with them, as they were only brokers to other agents.

This leaves much saliva on the lips of many- just how long the chain can be and who is to be blamed when such deals fail, first and foremost, going by the above CoS rates, all these activities were illegal and undermined UK immigration processes. Well, when there was good news, no one cried, but now about 37 victims were waiting to be refunded.

Unending wait for a refund

Tanduh holds that Epiewane neglected the terms of the refund they had earlier agreed on. He admitted to receiving a total of 1.8 million with a warning from the couple not to reach out again. CNA could not independently confirm this. This was only after he had applied pressure, even though Epiewane is reported to have blacklisted him in the process. Tanduh was told by the couple that his refund had been cut following his approach to the embassy on the issue. Tanduh is demanding 3.2 million more or take legal action against the couple whenever they set foot in Cameroon.

For Chituh, she still does not comprehend the deal. Since a marriage certificate was not signed, the six-week promised visa to the UK did not materialise, and Epiewane’s lukewarm attitude towards the quest for clarification. She claimed the agent had not yet applied for her visa before Tanduh’s setback. Chituh took to social media after Epiewane acted recalcitrant to repay her five of the seven million. He consequently agreed to and is said to have done so for two months, a total of one million. April 2025 is the eighth month since he last serviced the debt.

Lavish lifestyle on social media

Amid crisis and cries for a refund, the couple have always been seen on social media doing “giveaways”, sending money to people in the name of being “philanthropists”, but many questioned why they would be spending money on giveaways and still tell their victims that they have no money for a refund.

At some point, social media users found their defense mechanism, lacking in humility, as they openly scolded victims for crying out on social media.

By the end of March, Christy Newuh, also known as Mama Atalaku, scolded the crying victim, Chituh, saying that crying on social media would not get her money refunded. She said this in a live video that went viral.

But in a post on his Facebook page on March 31, which has now been deleted, Mr. Epiewane confessed that they had failed their victims and Cameroonians in general and promised to do better.

Some Cameroonians like Reliable Safe Path Abroad who has knowledge on such issues said the couple crossed the line and must pay.

UK High Commission to Cameroon

CNA also reached out to the UK High Commission in Cameroon via email on Thursday, April 10, 2025, requesting to know if the Commission knows the ongoing saga. The letter also sought clarification on the official cost of a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), measures in place to check fraud, verification of workplace legitimacy, and reporting channels for defrauded Cameroonians.

The Commission is yet to reply.

Why UK

Both Chituh and Tanduh are now residents of Bamenda. A city limbed by an eight-year socio-political conflict in the North West and South West regions. Witnessing uncomfortable inflation rates and misery from alarming human rights violations, like; killing, torture, lockdown, and destruction of property. Womei Lincy Chituh is a holder of an Advanced Level Certificate. She explained that they could not identify any area back home where the fund would have been invested. Tanduh, on the other hand, felt pay rates were higher in the UK, with more favourable conditions than in the UAE. He has held a degree in History since 2011. Moreover, he has completed courses in security, CCTV operations, installations, and Health and Safety (NEBOSH).

Silence from the Epie(s)

At the time of this report, it had been over two weeks; by mid-April 2025, after several notifications were sent without a response received to Mr Mesumbe Epiewane on different confirmed WhatsApp lines seeking the address of these allegations. Some of these messages were sent while the concerned were seen online, but after two weeks, CNA moved ahead with the report.

But the new room is still open to receive answers to some of the questions that were sent to the couple concerning the issue.