WILDLEX

This is an appeal case where the court looked into the procedure taken to try the matter at the lower court. The judges questioned whether the convictions in the trial court were duplicated.

The plaintiff who was arrested for theft of 2 zebra skins, spent 32 days in custody awaiting trial. His case was later withdrawn. He then claimed N$277 200.00 from the defendant for wrongfully and maliciously setting the law in motion by laying a false charge against him.

The appellants appeared before the District Magistrates’ Court on two charges of contravening the Nature Conservation Ordinance, 1975 relating to hunting specially protected game, (namely: three elephants) without a permit and possession of six elephant tusks.

In January 2016, the conservation service of the Boumba Bek National Park arrested the accused Ndongo Basile and Yelima Gaston for poaching two (2) elephants in the said park and extracted their ivories. The co-offender Alea Florent furnished them with the weapon, a hunting gun needed to poach the elephants.

In 2017, elements of the conservation service of the Nki National park arrested some unidentified individuals in the said park for killing elephants. The other co-offenders escaped successfully with the loot leaving the accused.

On the 20 June 2014, elements of the conservation service of the Mt. Cameroon National Park organized an anti-poaching patrol in the village of Efolofo, located around the said park. Upon hearing a gun, they moved towards the direction with the aid of cyber tracker.

On the 9 December 2014, elements of the Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife Buea received a letter from military officials who were on a mixed control mission in the town of Misselele, about a seizure of pangolin scales and elephant ivories carried out on the 8 December.

In October 2013, BABA AHMADOU, the board chairperson of the telecoms company VIETTEL, sent a complaint to the Buea Judicial police about some of his collaborators indulging in smuggling elephant tusks and pangolin scales in the national territory tarnishing the reputation of their firm.

On the 4 August 2013, the conservator of Korup National Park received reliable information about an elephant being killed in the village of Ikenge. The conservator mobilized a team together with the military to carry out a field investigation to this effect. On their way to the village, the team kept an open eye for any evidence.

This is an appeal by the appellant against his conviction and sentence by the Regional Court magistrate, Upington, on charges of contravention of sections 44(1)(b)(i) and 46 of the Nature and Environmental Conservation Ordinance 19 of 1974.