Renowned Cameroonian lawyer and peace crusader Sir. Dr. Barrister Ntumfor Nico Halle, Senior Managing Partner of the Nico Halle & Co. Law Firm, has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Batonnier Yondo Black. The anti-corruption crusader described him as “a high-profile international legal colossus” whose moral and professional integrity remain a beacon for generations of lawyers.
The passing of Batonnier Yondo Black, a towering figure in Cameroon’s legal landscape, was announced this week, drawing a wave of tributes from the legal fraternity and beyond.
For the veteran lawyer Nico Halle, the news struck like “a thunderbolt,” recalling both the personal bond and the professional respect that bound the two legal luminaries.
“The very learned Batonnier Yondo Black has been announced passed. The sad news got to me as a thunderbolt as it is not long since I saw him,” Halle said, his words laden with emotion. “Though devastating and numbing, I felt a little relieved after remembering his fulfilled and accomplished life as a very high-profile international legal colossus.”
Sir. Dr. Barrister Ntumfor Halle, himself widely revered for his unyielding defense of justice, good governance, and peace, recounted that his journey as a lawyer began under the stewardship of Yondo Black, who was Batonnier at the time. Their relationship, he said, was marked by cordiality, mutual respect, and a shared dedication to the sanctity of the law.
“I became a Barrister when he was Batonnier, and since then, we have had a very cordial relationship each time we met,” he recalled. “To the extent that I know him, he was outspoken and shunned hypocrisy and falsehood. He stood for the respect of the Rule of Law each time he identified any violation.”
Yondo Black, a former president of the Cameroon Bar Association and a leading voice for democratic reforms, was known for his courage, integrity, and unwavering commitment to truth, qualities that Nico Halle holds in the highest regard.
“His professional aura and wherewithal were ubiquitous. The Bar Association has lost a model to be emulated by all and sundry,” Halle lamented. “The void created by his demise will be very difficult to fill.”
Known both at home and abroad for his fearless advocacy against corruption and hate speech, Sir Dr. Barrister Ntumfor Nico Halle used the occasion not only to celebrate the life of a mentor and peer but also to reflect on the moral decline he perceives in contemporary society.
“All I can say here is that where he is now is better than where we are, as we are engulfed in moral decadence in all its forms,” he said poignantly.
In closing his tribute, Sir. Halle extended sincere condolences to the bereaved family, colleagues of the Bar, and all who shared in Yondo Black’s vision of a just and equitable society.
“May he find respite in the bosom of our awesome God,” he said. “My sincere and heartfelt condolences to the entire family, the Bar Association, and friends alike. Adieu mon Batonnier.”
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