Residents of the village of Toukou took to the streets of Yagoua en masse on Friday, August 9th, to demand the release of one of their own, who had been arrested by the city’s prosecutor and placed in detention.
The city of Yagoua, located in the Mayo-Danay department in the Far North region, narrowly escaped a riot this morning. Early on, the angry residents of Toukou, dissatisfied with the judicial administration, held multiple protests across the city, particularly in the neighborhood where the prison is located. They were protesting against the detention of Voksou, a municipal councilor.
It is reported that the source of this anger stems from the murder of a man named Litouang a year ago, who was killed by his in-laws. During traditional Massa rituals, Voksou had pleaded with the people of Toukou to refrain from seeking revenge and to abandon the ritual. Unfortunately, several months later, he was accused by the Yagoua prosecutor, along with 11 others, of being the instigator of the Toukou residents’ revolt, who continued to demand justice for Litouang. Last Thursday, Voksou was arrested at the market by gendarmes and thrown into prison that same day on the prosecutor’s orders, as explained by journalist Lamissia.
In response to what appears to be a blatant injustice, the people of Yagoua took to the streets in large numbers to express their anger. After several protests in the city center, the crowd, numbering in the thousands, eventually marched—armed with arrows—toward the Yagoua prison, forcing the chief prosecutor of the Court of Appeal of the Far North, named Salatou, to order the release of the municipal councilor. This decision was welcomed and brought an end to the unrest.
