Shocking video of tortured journalist martinez zogo shown in Yaoundé trial
The highly anticipated trial surrounding the murder of Martinez Zogo, a prominent Cameroonian radio host whose lifeless body was discovered in January 2023, resumed on June 1, 2026, at the military court in Yaoundé. This session took a dramatic turn as a previously unseen video was presented to the court, depicting the journalist in a harrowing state, begging for help while visibly tortured.
Martinez Zogo, host of a widely listened-to radio program in the Cameroonian capital, was kidnapped and later found dead under suspicious circumstances. The video, recovered from the digital files of one of the accused, showed him with his hands bound behind his back, blood streaming from a wound near his ear, and his face disfigured.
The court session on June 1, 2026, focused on the testimony of Professor Georges Bell Bitjocka, a cybersecurity expert tasked with analyzing the data extracted from the phones of the accused individuals.
As the video played in the courtroom, an overwhelming silence fell over the proceedings. Many in attendance, including legal representatives and family members, were visibly moved to tears. Ludovic Zabze, attorney for Amplitude FM, the radio station Martinez Zogo worked for, shared his reaction: “By the end of the video, I couldn’t bear to look at the accused any longer. They appeared visibly shaken themselves. The emotional weight of this moment is impossible to describe.”
The incriminating footage was discovered in the Google account of Godje Oumarou, one of the accused and a member of the squad allegedly responsible for the journalist’s murder.
During the proceedings, it was revealed that on the evening of January 17, 2023, Martinez Zogo had exchanged messages with Justin Danwe, a senior official at Cameroon’s external intelligence agency (DGRE). Danwe reportedly instructed an associate to “capture the images of the mouse,” a coded reference to Martinez Zogo.
Maxime Eko Eko, former director of the DGRE, was among those charged. His defense attorney, Séri Zokou, vehemently denied any involvement: “There is absolutely no evidence linking my client to these allegations. The phone data in question was submitted to the joint investigative commission and the examining judge, and nothing implicates him.”
Professor Georges Bell Bitjocka also confirmed that he had examined the mobile devices of other key defendants, including Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, Bruno Bidjang, and Martin Savom.
Calvin Job, representing Martinez Zogo’s family, emphasized the significance of the expert’s findings: “If the court relies on this report, it will have already resolved 98% of the case.”
Background of the case
On January 22, 2023, Cameroonians woke to the grim news of Martinez Zogo’s death. The 51-year-old radio personality, known for his unflinching criticism of societal ills and powerful figures in his daily program, was found lifeless on a remote plot of land about 25 kilometers from Yaoundé. His body bore marks of severe torture.
Prior to his murder, Martinez Zogo had been abducted on the evening of January 17, 2023. The investigation, led by Colonel-magistrate Pierrot Narcisse Nzie, culminated in the indictment of 17 suspects, all currently detained. Among them were Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, former head of the DGRE; Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Danwe, a former DGRE operations director; Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, media mogul and owner of *L’Anecdote*; and Stéphane Martin Savom, a local mayor and administrative official.
The trial, which had faced multiple procedural delays, officially commenced on March 25, 2024, at the military court in Yaoundé. Substantive hearings began in September 2025, marking a critical step toward justice for one of Cameroon’s most high-profile crimes.
