Cameroon’s high-profile trial over the abduction and killing of journalist Martinez Zogo saw a dramatic turn on September 22, as a key witness implicated the country’s external intelligence service in the case.
At the Yaoundé military tribunal, sub-lieutenant Legrand Gastien Ngamby Kwimang, who commanded the central post brigade at the time of Zogo’s disappearance, testified for nearly six hours.
Ngamby detailed his interactions with Lieutenant Colonel Justin Danwe, the former director of operations at the Directorate-General of External Research (DGRE) and a principal defendant in the case. According to Ngamby, in late December 2022, Danwe visited his office and said: “There is a man speaking badly about my boss. I want him to be given a good lesson.”
When Ngamby asked who he meant, Danwe allegedly replied: “It is Martinez Zogo.”
Although the two did not meet again in person, they continued communicating via WhatsApp.
Ngamby described receiving further instructions on January 3, 2023, with Danwe emphasizing “absolute discretion” and warning that Zogo “lives in Tsinga village.”
Ngamby says he did not act on these orders.
Two weeks later, on January 17, Danwe allegedly messaged: “The case I told you about does not interest you.
The police have taken over.
Delete all messages.” Following Zogo’s disappearance on January 18, Danwe reportedly told Ngamby: “Given how things are turning out, say nothing to anyone.
It seems the police are after him.” Ngamby said he retained the messages and reported them the next day to his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Parfait Arnaud Ayissi Nanga.
Zogo’s mutilated body was discovered outside Yaoundé days later, prompting the president to order a joint police-gendarmerie investigation.
On January 25, Danwe contacted Ngamby again, inquiring about his involvement in the inquiry and noting that police “have some videos.”
Defense lawyers highlighted contradictions in Ngamby’s testimony compared to his February 2023 statement. While he now denies ever feeling threatened, he had previously told investigators he feared for his life and his family’s safety.
With several inconsistencies still unresolved, the tribunal adjourned proceedings to September 23, leaving questions about the DGRE’s potential involvement in the journalist’s death at the forefront of the case.
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