By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
Lawyers defending Kingsley Njoka Fomonyuy say the Government is consistently lying and misleading public opinion about the circumstances that led to the ‘abduction’ and incarceration of their client, as well as the death of Samuel Ajieka Abuwe aka Samuel Wazizi.
In a public outing, Friday, October 23 in Yaounde, Barrister Nico Tanyi Amungwa, accompanied by a colleague said, they were surprised by Government’s response to the United Nation queries on Njoka and Wazizi’s cases.
According to the documents presented to the press, the lawyers said: “the Government responses to the UN working group through the Permanent Representative of Cameroon to United Nation and World Trade Organisation, WTO, were full of lies and propaganda. The responses are in sharp contrast with what is going on the ground.”
Contrary to what Government told the working group that the Bonaberi Research Brigade arrested Njoka on May 15, 2020, and transferred him directly to the National Gendarmerie Headquarters in Yaounde, SED, the lawyers said, he was rather taken to the Military Research Centre behind the Military Hospital at Olezoa in Yaounde.
“Yes Njoka was arrested in Douala but Government lied that he was transferred directly to SED in Yaounde. He was taken to the Military Research Centre behind the Military Hospital at Olezoa. He was kept in a makeshift cell under torture and incommunicado from May 15 to 29 before sending him to SED where his lawyers discovered him 24 days after,” Barrister Amungwa said.
He said Njoka was abducted by incognito armed men among them a woman. Going by the lawyers, he was thereafter kept for a while at the Bonaberi Research Brigade as they return to search his house.
Also, lawyers said the government lied to the group that after detaining him on June 11, Njoka was transferred to the legal department of the Military Tribunal.
“Contrary to what Government said he was detained till June 12 before being remanded in custody at the Kondengui Central Prison without informing his lawyers. He was transferred to the legal department of the Military Tribunal on June 12 wherein he was remanded in custody on alleged offences of secession and complicity with armed bandit.”
While the response forwarded to the UN working group indicated that Njoka was interrogated before the Examining Magistrate of the Military Tribunal Yaounde in the presence of four lawyers, lawyers of Njoka refuted that their client is yet to be interrogated and thus not charge before the examining magistrate.
“He appeared before the examining magistrate on June 12 alone and was remanded in custody at the Kondengui Central Prison without the knowledge of his lawyers. He appeared again on July 14 in the presence of three lawyers, not four and was not heard. His matter was adjourned to August 11 and till date; we are waiting to have a new date,” Barrister Amungwa said.
While refusing to answer some questions, the lawyers maintained that responses concerning Samuel Wazizi are full of incongruities like those in Njoka’s case.
They said it is almost getting to two months since they were denied access to their clients and they don’t know how he is doing.
Nevertheless, a report-comprising checklist of grievous allegations entangling the State of Cameroon concerning the abduction and incarceration of Njoka and the death of Wazizi is said to have been forwarded to the working group on Torture and Arbitrary Detention at the United Nations in Geneva by their lawyers.
Going by correspondence No. 162/NV/MPCG/MC/S3 of July 7, 2020, the working group send seven questions to the Permanent Representative of Cameroon to UN, WTO and other International missions in Geneva.
On September 3, via correspondence No. 162/NV/MPCG/MC/S3, the Permanent Representative of Cameroon filed attempted responses to the allegations brought against her by the United Nations.
In another point, lawyers told the press that the criminal complaint filed by Kingsley Njoka against the Military Spokesman, Col. Cyrille Atonfack was well received at SED but until date, the officer in charge is unable to produce Njoka from prison to take his statement.
Meantime, lawyers have invited the commission created by the Head of State to investigate the death and mysterious evaporation of the corpse of Samuel Wazizi to come clean with their report so that perpetrators of his death and disappearance of his corpse be brought to book.
