Cameroon’s military has admitted that it’s officers arrested a journalist who was reported missing last year August.
The journalist, Samuel Ebuwe Ajiekia, also known as Samuel Wazizi however died in custody a few days after his arrest.
Cameroon officials however failed to make his arrest and eventual death in custody public ten months ago until on Friday following media reportage demanding his whereabouts.
With reports that the journalist was tortured to death, the government has now admitted that he died in custody but was not tortured.
In the statement, army spokesman Cyrille Atonfack Nguemo said its officers took custody of Wazizi on August 7, 2019 after investigations revealed he was coordinating logistics for separatist fighters.
Wazizi’s family and working colleagues however denied those charges by the military against him.
Placed in Military force custody
On August 13, 2019 the military said Wazizi was placed into the custody of the national gendarmerie – a military police force.
Wazizi became sick and was taken to hospital in the capital Yaounde, where he died on August 17, according to Nguemo.
“He clearly died from a severe sepsis and not from any acts of torture,” Nguemo said, rejecting accusations of torture.
Words escape me. The official statement or whitewash from the #Cameroon-ian government about the death in its custody of journalist #SamuelWazizi #JusticeForWazizi #SayNoToImpunity pic.twitter.com/pJlct71q6K
— Angela Quintal (@angelaquintal) June 5, 2020
But the journalists’ union in Cameroon has accused the military of torturing him to death.
The National Office of CAMASEJ had asked all “Journalists in Yaounde to mobilise tomorrow (Saturday) morning.
We are marching to the hospital in Ekounou to verify the corpse. A family member will be with us.”
That call to mobilize was later canceled by the group based in the English speaking region of Cameroon.
The decision to accompany the family of late Samuel Wazizi to the mortuary today is canceled on the advice of counsel. Members remain mobilised. #JusticeForWazizi pic.twitter.com/VJNCBVzFoq
— CAMASEJ National (@CamasejN) June 6, 2020
Demand for justice
Journalists in Cameroon and beyond are now demanding justice for the journalist who many believe was murdered and didn’t die from natural cause.
Born on Wednesday, June 6, 1984, Samuel Abuwe Ajiekha (Wazizi) should have been 36 years old today.
Happy Birthdate Brother ?#JusticeForWazizi#Cameroon#JournalismIsNotACrime#FreedomOfSpeech#FreedomOfThePress@alphonseabongwa @MimiMefoInfo @AgborNkonghoF @hrw, @BBCAfrica pic.twitter.com/Xg97ChUmCT
— Santos Ajongakou (@Ajongmars) June 6, 2020
They cannot arrest us all.
They cannot kill us all. #JusticeForWazizi is justice for you and I.
Stand Up! pic.twitter.com/wwexP5fFBU
— Kah Walla (@KahWalla) June 6, 2020
Cameroon’s #BIR soldiers under the command of General Mohamadou (a Muslim killing Christians) abducted #JusticeForWazizi in the #SouthernCameroons capital City of #Buea, tortured him to death before shipping his body to Yaoundé to conceal all evidence of the crime. @ABBLiveShow pic.twitter.com/04fSCR1kYI
— Tigers Of Ambazonia (@AmbazoniaTigers) June 6, 2020
Journalists continue to suffer persistent harassment and attacks while reporting about happenings in Cameroon.
These attacks and harassment in Cameroon’s English-speaking heartlands of the North-West and South-West regions started in 2016.
Authorities have clamped down on the media’s coverage of the unrest which were triggered by moves by separatists in Anglophone Cameroon to seek independence.
Thousands have died from the violence and crackdown of activities in this region for months now.
Source: Africafeeds.com
