The recent arrest of three journalists, Rodrigue Tongue of Le Massager, Felix Ebole Bola of Mutation and Baba Wame a Lecturer in the Advanced School of Mass Communication (ESSTIC) Yaounde infront of the Military Tribunal in Yaoundé last Tuesday, 28th October 2014, has left many wondering what could be the reason behind arrests.
State media CRTV reported on its webpage that the three have been “accused of detention of sensitive information” and have been told by judge Aline Mbia Ondoua not to leave the national territory and to present themselves at the military tribunal every Monday before judgement begins.
These events, the site also alleged that began on October 24th 2014 three days after a barrister at Law; Harissau was arrested on a number of charges including insults to the Head of State and hostility to the fatherland. The three are allegedly to be in the center of an issue concerning a document handed to them by the said Barrister Harrissau between the 3rd and 25th of July 2014.
It has also emerged that the Barrister Harrisou (Abdoulaye) is one of the legal advisers of the former Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, Marafa Hamidou Yaya, who is presently behind bars on corruption charges.
Sources close to the Yaoundé Military Tribunal say the lawyer has been charged with stirring up a revolution against the state.` He is also charged with illegal possession of firearms. He was arrested with a friend and politician, one Aboubakar Siddiki who is also facing similar charges.
According to the Post Newspaper, “Two Magistrates of the Military Tribunal and Registrar read out the charges in a tight corner at the Kondengui prison that was temporarily transformed to a courtroom on Tuesday, October 21. The court officials took over 20 minutes to notify the accused persons. They were informed of their charges in the presence of their lawyers, Barristers Jacques Mbuny and Sebastien Song”
The court accused Harrisou of describing the Head of State as someone who is politically and physically incapable of ruling Cameroon in a letter he sent to the journalists. But the journalists have refuted ever receiving any such letter or even know the Barrister.
Still in the Post, the paper writes that Marafa’s former aide was also accused of mobilizing factions of rebels in Chad, the Central African Republic, CAR and Sudan to destabilize Republican institutions in Cameroon and of masterminding a CAR rebel attack that took place in the East Region recently. He is also said to have written a speech, calling on the Cameroonian people to revolt against the regime of President Biya.
The charges against the two men were brought by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency In charge of Defence, Edgar Alain Mebe Ngo’o.
Many are wondering whether this is a gambit to finally condemn Marafa behind bars once and for all and exterminate any threat and political base he may be trying to build, if there was actually a plot orchestrated by these aides of Marafa to oust the regime in power and if so whether Marafa has a hand in it.
Some of the details surrounding this affair particularly on the issue involving the journalists are still enveloped in murky waters. The question on the lips of most people now is, was there a plot to destabilized the country which has been uncovered?
