Maintenance of Peace and Order and the Enforcement of the Rule of Law by the State During the Ghost Town Operation in Kumba

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the maintenance of peace and the rule of law by the state during the ghost town operation in Kumba. Notwithstanding all legal mechanism put in place to ensure that administrative authorities and the forces of law and order maintain peace and enforce the rule of law during situations that peace and order is perturbed, these authorities still fail. The resultant effect is that, public peace and the rule of law which are important tenets in every society are lost and this gives rise to anarchy. The objective of this paper is to examine the legal framework for the maintenance of peace and the rule of law, the main actors for peace enforcement as well as the aspect of requisitioning. The Methodology employed in this work is mainly empirical in nature and based on observation and experience. We also supported this methodology with the doctrinal research methodology that permits us to analyze various laws related to the field of study. Our findings reveal that, despite the measures put in place by the state to ensure the maintenance of peace and the rule of law during the ghost town operation in Kumba, there was still much failure on the part of the administrative authorities as well as the forces of law and order. We however recommend that, administrative authorities and the forces of law, order should always act fast before situations perturbing peace, and the rule of law goes beyond their control and competence.