Cameroon: Outspoken journalist found dead after abduction

January 23, 2023 Elwin Mandowa

An outspoken Cameroonian journalist, Martinez Zogo who was abducted by unidentified assailants has been found dead.

His mutilated body was found on Sunday near the capital Yaounde five days after he was abducted, the press union said on Sunday.“Cameroonian media has just lost one of its members, a victim of hatred and barbarism,” Cameroon’s journalists’ trade union said in a statement.

“Where is the freedom of the press, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression in Cameroon when working in the media now entails a mortal risk?”

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Martinez Zogo was kidnapped on Jan. 17 while trying to enter a police station to escape his attackers.

The corpse of #MartinezZogo being removed from where he was found in Soa, Yaounde, after being murdered.https://t.co/bybXxu5iF8 pic.twitter.com/01VEAyrV19

— Mimi Mefo Info (@MimiMefoInfo) January 22, 2023

The director of a private radio station, Amplitude FM in recent times had been vocal on air about alleged embezzlement involving a media outlet with government connections.

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Jean De Dieu Momo, Cameroon’s Minister Delegate to the Minister of Justice Keeper of the Seals, condemned the murder.

“This is unacceptable, if true. No one deserves that. And now fingers will be pointing at us!!!! No journalist nor anyone else deserves to be killed for speaking out… everything must be brought to light,” he is quoted by local media to have said.

Meanwhile opposition leader, The leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), Maurice Kamto, has also condemned the incident and called for government official statement on the issue.

If this information is confirmed, it would be proven that every Cameroonian citizen is in total insecurity under the declining CPDM regime. We demand a statement from the government on January 22, to invalidate or confirm the rumor of the assassination of Mr. Martinez ZOGO. 2/2

— Maurice Kamto (@KamtoOfficiel) January 22, 2023

Media freedoms in Cameroon have been on the decline for years now with journalists constantly under threat.

Radio France Internationale reporter Ahmed Abba was arrested in July 2015 and imprisoned for two years on terrorism charges that rights groups denounced as a sham.

Outspoken reporter Paul Chouta, who worked for private news website Cameroon Web, was beaten and stabbed by unknown attackers in 2019.

“Although Cameroon has one of the richest media landscapes in Africa, it is one of the continent’s most dangerous countries for journalists, who operate in a hostile and precarious environment,” RSF has said about Cameroon’s profile.