Cameroon: Army spokesperson dragged to court over ‘implicating’ remarks on jailed journalist

A complaint has reportely been lodged against Colonel Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo by detained journalist, Njoka Kingsley.

Filed with the Commissioner at the Yaoundé Military Tribunal, Njoka Kingsley is accusing the Head of communication division at the Ministry of Defense for biased comments, defamation and slander.

This follows the official’s remarks made on Equinoxe television’s La Vérité en face on Equinoxe Television. In a written complaint addressed to the state prosecutor at the Military tribunal in Yaounde, the detained pressman narrated incidents after his arrest.

Contrary to what the army spokesperson had said on July 5 2020 however, Kingsley writes: “Colonel Atongfack has never approached me since my abduction from 15 May 2020, my stay at the military research center and to the service centrale de recherches judicier SED, to Kondengui Central prison where I am now.”

Describing utterances about him by the official as criminal, Kingsley says the spokesperson said they had taken him to the field where he even cooperated with them.

“He impeached my character by blatantly engaging in prejudicial comments, defamation, violation of suspects sacrosanct right to presumption of innocence, defamation, propagation of the secrecy of police investigation, discretion, breach of professional confidence and above all, placing my person in harms way with separatist fighters” says Kingsley.

Freelance journalist, Njoka Kingsley was arrested weeks ago and was only discovered at the much dreaded SED after being held for 24 days incommunicado. Currently awaiting trial at the Yaounde Central prison, Colonel Cyrille Serge Atonfack said Kingsley was a member of a key separatist group in Kumbo, Bui division.

Kingsley he added enabled the separatist fighters to target those that had dropped their arms and had been reintegrated into society.

Mimi Mefo Info