Worker of Nso Boys Agency arrested and tortured by gendarmes for ‘unfounded’ suspicion of transporting a bomb

Elements of the national gendarmerie in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde are reported to have abducted and tortured a worker of Nso Boys travel agency to near death.

Manjong Henry, reports say was was abducted at Biyem-assi Yaounde on June 6th 2023 by four gendamarie officers of ‘premier region de gendamarie nationale’ Yaounde and taken to their headquarters opposite the national Assembly.

Human Rights lawyer Barrister Amungwa Tanyi Nicodemus in an alarm said Manjong was tortured to near death and subjected to inhumane treatment before being released on Friday June 23, 2023.

“They handcuffed him to a mango tree and tortured him with machetes, cables and other hard objects that damaged his left eye,” said Barrister Amungwa adding that, “the deathly tortured was an attempt to force statements out of his mouth.”

Not less than four gendames according to the human rights lawyer took part in the torture for unfounded reasons of transporting a bomb to Yaounde from Bamenda.

“The four gendarme officers were joined by their colleagues who tortured him continuously for two days on allegations that a luggage was dispatched from Nso boys travel agency Bamenda to Nso boys travel agency Yaounde containing a bomb,” the human rights lawyer went on.

Claiming to have gotten the intelligence from an informant, the law officers rough handled the suspect to the point of death.

The intervention of Barrister Amungwa Tanyi Nicodemus saved his life that was already hanging on a scale.

“After his inhumane torture by officers of 1st region, they discovered that he was about to die and they rushed him to Service Centrale Recherches Judiciaries on June 8th, 2023, where he was detained till June 23rd, 2023 when he was released after three weeks of intense intervention mounted on the authorities by me,” revealed Barrister Amungwa.

Following the release of Manjong Henry, the human rights lawyer announced that, ” have filed complaints against the four unidentified gendamarie officers to the Secretary of State of the National Gendamarie (SED), the Commander of premier region Yaounde, the military tribunal Yaounde and the intelligence service of the national gendamarie
hoping that they will open investigations in order to bring the perpetrators to book.”

At the time of this report, Henry was receiving medical attention.

By David Atangana