Matinez Zogo affair: New twist as court projects forensic video of journalist’s killing.

Forensic material projected as proceedings resumed Monday June 1 at the Yaounde Military Court, showing how Zogo was killed has since left the public in shock.

The projection marked the greater part of what transpired in court Monday as relatives of the deceased left the hearing under the weight of the horror Zogo went through in the hands of his killers. Tuesday, the matter resumed with the defense raising several questions relating to the material in court.

 Forensic expert with specialty in uncovering criminal secrets, Prof. Georges Bell Bitjoka, aired the video on a giant screen at the military tribunal. 

The atmosphere went somber as the shocking images of what had remained out of public knowledge since the discovery of Zogo’s corpse in Soa, on the outskirts of Yaounde January 23, 2023, provoked emotions.

Through expert workings, Prof Bitjoka fed the court through recovered material which suspects are believed to have deleted.  Media reports indicated that the video showed Zogo being meted the cruelest of torture. 

In the video, the deceased was said to be seen begging to be spared but those who took his life disfigured his blood-stained body further till he breathe his last. 

Prof Bitjoka is reported to have recovered the video exploiting phones seized from some of the suspects detained in connection to the killing.

The expert also projected images sourced from the mobile devices of some of the suspects which showed the torture affected the internal organs of the victim. 

 The State-owned  Cameroon Tribune further detailed that, Prof Bitjoka also updated the court on the working of a WhatsApp group that was named “Soa” which suspects had set up to coordinate the elimination of Zogo.

The State-owned paper indicated that Prof Bitjoka, disclosed wile projecting the video that  data recovered from the phones of  Lieutenant Colonel Justin Danwe, erstwhile Director of Operations at the Directorate  General of External Research, DGRE, showed his engagements with subordinates.

Detailing that Zogo came under surveillance towards the end of 2022, the paper stated that after being told not digital traces existed of the radio animator, Danwe  “.. ordered a comprehensive tracking regimen, demanding physical pictures of the journalist to properly,” monitor his movements.

Still based on the expert presentations, work is said to have advanced with  Danwe ordering for specific  actions in early January 2023 while at the same time ordering the clearance of WhattsApp exchanges, the expert projections indicated.

It also emerged from the court briefing that Danwe contacted a civilian identified as Etienne Jacques Jacques Engwele Ngwele, on January 17, 2023 to request a jeep for hire. It is believed that the car was used to adduct Zogo in the evening of the same day. 

 Danwe, what was presented to the court showed, texted Ngwele on January 18 about the success of the mission and certain difficulties with the vehicle. 

In the wake of Zogo’s disappearance, Danwe and his subordinates are said to have discussed about Zogo’s death. The report indicated declarations such as: “He is death.  I think he had  asthma”; “ I think  so too” ; “I regret the same that X did not carry out the instruction”; “  I am worried”; “ Don’t be worried, nothing will happen if you don’t say anything” from suspects.

Scope of exploiting devices

Meanwhile, Prof Bitjoka is said to have noted that the first joint investigation panel did not get enough devices from suspects that would have further shed light on what transpired. 

He is quoted as having told the court that the former DGRE boss, Leopold Maxime Eko Eko had eight mobile devices as indicated through Google network footprinting but only three were confiscated.

On businessman Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga, the expert is said to have noted that his communication devices handed to investigators was below 30%.

 Bitjoka is said to have noted that of what was extracted from the Amougou Belinga-linked devices, only 18% could be used in the investigations.

Regarding signals from devices linked to officers traced to where the corpse was found in Soa,  Cameroon Tribune quoted also Prof Bitjoka as having declared that: “ The total absence of an active signal for certain individuals does not indicate they were physically absent from the Soa drop zone. 

“It simply means those professional actors followed basic signal security. Either by entirely powering down their electronics, pulling their SIM profiles, or physically leaving their primary devices behind in separate sectors before moving out to complete the execution".

“Absolute horror” 

Reacting to the developments in court Monday, Barrister Emmanuel Simh  in a reaction described what he saw as “ absolute horror”. He questioned: “How can human beings be capable of such savagery?” before noting that  irrespective of what judges will arrived at, “the justice of God, will be merciless”.

He recalled having lived the court session, stating that he saw a courtroom, “frozen with emotion, women and men in tears, some leaving or closing their eyes, unable to watch on the giant screen the barbarity live”.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3806 of Wednesday June 03, 2026