Cameroon: Former Prison Manager Administered 600 Machete Strokes to Inmate

A prison manager is reported to have inflicted 600 strokes on an inmate at the Eseka Prison in the Centre Region of Cameroon.

According to the victim’s family, Lionel Huiken Taneke Jou, the former manager of Eseka prison, allegedly administered 600 machete blows under the feet of Thomas d’Aquin Ntep.

In addition, the manager is accused of extorting the sum of 7 million FCFA from the inmate.

A complaint was filed against the former manager of Eseka prison with the public prosecutor at the Ntui Court of First Instance on July 25 for torture, assault and battery, fraud, and others.

The victim’s family describes the abuse their son experienced in this prison in an open letter to the Minister of Justice and the Head of State.

They recounted that “he (Thomas d ‘Aquin Ntep) was detained at the Eseka prison for 8 months. We want to know why this manager maltreated him in this way. You imagine that he administered 600 machete strokes under his feet. We demand justice.”

On the medical certificate issued on June 26 by Dr. Bertrand Aroga Afian, the doctor on duty at the Yoko district hospital confirmed that Thomas Ntep had medical complications requiring more attention.

“The patient presents a severe pathology, requiring follow-up in a specialized environment in an emergency, hepatologic service, and gastroenterology,” the letter read.

Ever since he suffered the abuse, Thomas Ntep’s state of health has deteriorated sharply.

Despite the hospital care he has been receiving recently, the victim continues to defecate and vomit blood. In addition to that, he can’t stand on his own two feet.