Putting an end to rumors that have made people talk across digital platforms, the leadership of the Southwest Manyu Cocoa Farmers Cooperative has firmly dismissed viral claims alleging that its President gives out millions weekly in backdoor customs payments.

For days, social media corridors have been very active with fabricated stories claiming that Chief Tabe Bessong, President and General Manager of the Southwest Manyu Cocoa Farmers Cooperative, was spending huge sums of money behind the scenes.

Specifically, anonymous online posts alleged that the cooperative was sending 15 million CFA francs every single week to the Head of the South West Customs Sector, alongside a separate 70 million CFA francs handed over to the Director General of Customs in Yaoundé as a bribe.

In a direct response that has finally cleared the air of misinformation, the cooperative’s leadership stepped forward over the weekend to set the record straight, calling the rumors “an orchestrated smear campaign designed to dent hard-earned reputations and throw mud at a booming agricultural sector.”

The clearing of the air became the main topic of discussion during the weekend installation ceremony of Difang Roger as President of the Bamenda Road Axis Cocoa Union.

Surrounded by local chiefs, elated farmers, and cooperative members who came out in their numbers, the leadership used the platform to address the elephant in the room.

Speaking plainly so that every ordinary farmer and everyday reader could understand the reality, cooperative officials emphasized that business is not done in the shadows.