The high-stakes murder trial of Martinez Zogo, a prominent Cameroonian radio host whose lifeless body was discovered in January 2023 following reports of severe abuse, resumed on June 1, 2026, in Yaoundé. During the hearing, a chilling video was presented in court—one that had been recovered from a suspect’s digital files. It depicted the late journalist, bloodied and bound, begging for help.
Martinez Zogo, a well-known voice on Cameroon‘s Amplitudes FM, gained fame for his fearless criticism of public figures. His abduction and subsequent murder in January 2023 sent shockwaves through the nation. The trial, now in its advanced stages, took a dramatic turn as forensic experts revealed damning evidence.
On June 1, 2026, the military tribunal in Yaoundé heard testimony from Professor Georges Bell Bitjocka, a digital forensics specialist tasked with analyzing the accused’s mobile devices. His findings included disturbing visual evidence.
For the first time, graphic footage of Martinez Zogo’s torture was displayed in court. The video showed the journalist, his hands bound behind his back, blood streaming from an injured ear and his face. His desperate pleas for mercy echoed through the tense courtroom.
A wave of emotion swept through the audience as the video played. Many in attendance were visibly shaken, with some breaking down in tears. Ludovic Zabze, attorney for Amplitudes FM, described the moment as overwhelming: “By the end of the video, I couldn’t bear to look at the accused. Even they appeared devastated. The emotional weight is unbearable.”
The damning footage was retrieved from the Google account of Godje Oumarou, one of the accused and a member of the suspected execution squad.
Further revelations emerged during the hearing. On the evening of January 17, 2023, Oumarou exchanged messages with Justin Danwe, a former operations director at Cameroon’s external intelligence agency (DGRE). Danwe allegedly instructed him to capture images of an individual referred to in coded language as “the mouse”—a reference investigators have linked to Martinez Zogo.
Maxime Eko Eko, the former DGRE director, continues to deny any involvement. His defense lawyer, Séri Zokou, argued in court: “There is absolutely no evidence connecting my client to these events. The phone data presented in this case was already reviewed by the joint investigative commission and the examining magistrate. No incriminating material was found against him.”
Professor Bitjocka also examined the phones of other key defendants, including Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, publisher of the newspaper L’Anecdote, Bruno Bidjang, and Martin Savom, a local mayor. His analysis has become a pivotal piece of evidence in the prosecution’s case.
Calvin Job, legal representative of Martinez Zogo’s family, emphasized the report’s significance: “If the tribunal relies on this forensic analysis, it will have effectively resolved 98% of the case.”
Inside the tragic case of Martinez Zogo
On January 22, 2023, Cameroonians awoke to the grim news: the body of Martinez Zogo—full name Arsène Salomon Mbani Zogo—had been found near Yaoundé. The 51-year-old journalist, husband and father, was a household name thanks to his morning radio show Embouteillages, where he fearlessly exposed corruption and societal ills, with one exception: he never criticized President Paul Biya.
His abduction occurred on the evening of January 17, 2023. Just days later, his body was discovered on a remote plot 25 kilometers from the capital. The autopsy confirmed he had suffered extensive torture before his death.
The investigation, led by Colonel-magistrate Pierrot Narcisse Nzie, culminated in the indictment of 17 suspects, all currently in detention. Among them are Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, former DGRE director; Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Danwe, ex-operations chief at the DGRE; Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, media mogul and publisher of L’Anecdote; and Stéphane Martin Savom, a local mayor.
The trial, initially bogged down by procedural delays, finally opened on March 25, 2024, at the military tribunal in Yaoundé. Substantive arguments began on September 1, 2025, and have now reached a critical juncture with the presentation of this explosive video evidence.
