In a deeply unsettling turn of proceedings, the ongoing trial surrounding the murder of Martinez Zogo, a prominent Cameroonian radio host whose lifeless body was discovered in January 2023, has taken a harrowing new direction. On June 1, 2026, the military court in Yaoundé witnessed the unprecedented projection of a graphic video depicting the final moments of the late broadcaster, who was subjected to brutal torture before his death.
The disturbing footage, recovered from the digital devices of one of the accused, shows Martinez Zogo bound and bloodied, pleading for help while his ear appears slit and his face is covered in wounds. The video’s content sent shockwaves through the courtroom, leaving several attendees visibly distraught.
Forensic analysis exposes damning evidence
During Monday’s hearing, Professor Georges Bell Bitjocka, a cybersecurity expert, presented his findings after meticulously examining the mobile phones of multiple defendants. Among the recovered data were screenshots and the now-infamous torture video, which prosecutors argue provides irrefutable proof of the victim’s suffering.
In one chilling exchange from January 17, 2023, the video’s audio captures a voice identified as belonging to Justin Danwe, a former operations director at Cameroon’s external intelligence agency (DGRE), instructing an accomplice to ‘take images of the mouse’—a coded reference to Martinez Zogo.
Defense claims of innocence amid damning testimony
Maxime Eko Eko, the former DGRE director, faces allegations of involvement in the crime, though his lawyer, Maître Séri Zokou, vehemently denies any connection. ‘There is absolutely no evidence linking my client to these acts,’ Zokou argued. ‘The phone data presented was handed over to the joint investigative commission and the examining magistrate—none of it implicates Mr. Eko Eko.’
Meanwhile, the prosecution’s case received a significant boost when Maître Calvin Job, representing Martinez Zogo’s family, declared, ‘If the court relies on this forensic report, 98% of the investigation is already complete.’
Case background: a voice silenced
Martinez Zogo, whose real name was Arsène Salomon Mbani Zogo, was a fearless voice in Cameroonian media. For years, his daily radio show ‘Embouteillages’ in Yaoundé fearlessly exposed corruption and criticized societal ills—with one notable exception: President Paul Biya, whom he consistently praised. His abduction on the evening of January 17, 2023, was followed by the grim discovery of his naked, tortured body on a remote plot of land just 25 kilometers from the capital.
The investigation, led by military magistrate Colonel Pierrot Narcisse Nzie, culminated in the indictment of 17 suspects, all currently detained. Among them are Léopold Maxime Eko Eko, former DGRE chief; Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Danwe; Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, owner of the *L’Anecdote* media group; and Stéphane Martin Savom, a mayor from Cameroon’s Central Region. After years of procedural delays, the trial formally commenced on March 25, 2024, with substantive hearings beginning on September 1, 2025.
