Tensions were high today at the 9th police district in Douala after a detainee in the police station was said to have died. Reports say he died after being tortured by the police while he was in detention.
The victim, 36-year-old Nzimo Bertin went to the police station upon a convocation he had received from his neighbor, a policewoman following a dispute between them.
The dispute between them is said to have stemmed from a space which the victim had expanded into at the compound where they both rented.
Nzimou Bertin, a dealer in Car parts had reportedly decided to create more space for himself where he could store his goods, much to the displeasure of his female neighborhood.
The policewoman is said to have had the victim arrested and detained at the 9th police district. At the police station, Bertin is said to have been roughly beaten by his detainees.
He was later released yesterday night, albeit in a very weak state, with bruises on his neck and eyes. He returned to his home where he died early in the morning at about 4.a.m.
The angry family members of the deceased transported his body and deposited in front of the police station where he had been tortured.
The incident attracted a huge crowd in front of the police station, who also disrupted traffic flow around the Deido Government School for almost an hour. The home of the policewoman who had had Nzimou Bertin arrested was also vandalised by the angry population in Bepanda.
The Senior Divisional Officer of the Douala 1 District Christophe Fofie addressed the irate crowd and announced that an investigation had already been launched to look into the Nzimou Bertin’s death.
