A prominent Cameroonian journalist and government critic, Martinez Zogo, who was abducted last week after he exposed financial crimes involving government officials has been found dead near the capital, Yaounde.
The mutilated body of Zogo who was the Manging Director of Yaounde-based private radio station, Amplitude FM, was found on Sunday, five days after he was kidnapped as he tried to enter a police station to escape his attackers, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a media watchdog said.
“His body was found in a place called Ebogo 3 in the early hours of Sunday after he was tortured,” the RSF said in a statement on Monday.
According to the media watchdog, Zogo, who the presenter of a popular daily programme known as Embouteillage (Gridlock), had recently been exposing a case of alleged embezzlement involving a media outlet with government connections.
“The 51-year-old broadcaster regularly tackled cases of corruption, not hesitating to question important personalities by name,” it said.
“He was kidnapped by the unknown assailants on Tuesday, January 17, as he was about entering a police station after being chased by the kidnappers.
“The police in a Yaounde suburb heard a loud noise outside their police station and found Zogo’s badly damaged car at approximately 8pm on Tuesday.
“Police saw a black vehicle … driving off. They later came to realise this was an abduction,” the RSF said.
The Cameroon Journalists’ Trade Union which condemned the killing of Zogo in a statement described him as a victim of hatred and barbarism.
“Cameroonian media has just lost one of its members, a victim of hatred and barbarism.
“Where is the freedom of the press, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression in Cameroon when working in the media now entails a mortal risk?” the Union said in a statement.