CI-NEWS

Lawyers for assaulted Barrister Amungwa demand criminal probe.

2019-08-16

No: 441

Lawyers for assaulted Barrister Amungwa demand criminal probe.

Lawyers for Barrister Amungwa Tanyi who was assaulted in Yaounde on 27 July while returning home from his office by plainclothes gendarmes and left unconscious have demanded the opening of criminal investigations into the incident.

In a complaint dated 02/08/2019 written to the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence in charge of the Gendarmerie, details of the incident which led to the intervention of the SEMIL are narrated.

The complaint signed by Suh Emmanuel Akumchi (Jurist-P.A), on behalf of Barrister Suh Fuh Benjamin, indicates that a bag containing a laptop, money and other working tools of Barrister Amungwa was confiscated and kept under the custody of the Assistant Commander of the Mvog-Betsi Gendarmerie.

Barrister Amungwa is the head of the Communication team of the Anglophone Seperatist leaders. He organizes all the press conferences in connection with the Ayuk Tabe and co case.

Following is the complaint in its entirety:

Dear Sir,

RE: COMPLAINT AGAINST TWO GENDARMERIE OFFICERS FOR ASSAULT AND ATTEMPTED MURDER OF BARRISTER AMUNGWA TANYI NICODEMUS.

We are counsel for Barrister Amungwa Tanyi Nicodemus on whose behalf and instructions we lodge this complaint.

On Saturday 27/07/2019, our client and colleague left his office for home. Somewhere around Amour Mezam Express around Biyem-Assi while on the pavement a bike knocked him from behind. When he tried to inquire from the bike rider why they have to knock him on the pavement, one said he was an Adj. Chef and another said he was a Captain of the National Gendarmerie. When he introduced himself to them as a lawyer, they rather mocked at him and threatened him with a gun not to move an inch else he will be shot. Barrister Amungwa asked if he is wanted and if so they should show him the warrant. Obviously there was no warrant. He was pulled in between two of Amour Mezam Express buses and held there for hours. One finally held him on the neck in an attempt to strangulate.

At that point, he became unconscious. His office bag containing a Laptop HP, Money, USB128G key, very important documents inter alia. His shoes are also missing.

Eyewitnesses say in front of the population, the said Adj. Chef was later disarmed by SEMIL officers who also arrived the scene. They collected the pistol from the armed Adj. Chef and removed live bullets from it. The SEMIL officers questioned the Adj. Chef why he released a bullet into the firing chamber. The SEMIL officers took the pistol and the bullets away. It should be noted that Gendarmes, SEMIL and the police arrived the scene. Barrister Amungwa’s wife and brother who also came to the scene, tried taking him to the hospital with a car they brought, but the assistant commander of Mvog-Betsi refused and ordered that Barrister Amungwa be thrown behind the Gendarme Toyota Hilux and they will see the rest later on.

He was later dumped in the boot of a Gendarmerie Green Toyota Hilux and taken to the District Hospital Biyem-Assi. While there the door of the ward was blocked by the said Gendarmerie Green Toyota Hilux and his family members who were around found it unsafe for him and later transferred him to a private clinic.

Some of our colleagues later visited the Mvog-Betsi Gendarmerie for the items and the Assistant Commander said he will only give the items to Barrister Amungwa when he comes for them. There are so many witnesses including his wife and brother.

This is just a resume of what happened.

We kindly urge you to open up criminal investigations into this matter Sir.

Yours Sincerely,

For SUH FUH Benjamin

(Barrister-at-Law)

SUH Emmanuel AKUMCHI

(Jurist-P.A.)

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Lawyers for assaulted Barrister Amungwa demand criminal probe.