Yaoundé: The defence of former DGRE Director-General Léopold Maxime Eko Eko has issued a fresh statement challenging the evidence and chain of command presented in the Martinez Zogo trial. According to Cameroon News Agency, Eko Eko's lawyers have expressed that the accusations against their client lack material evidence. They highlight a December 29, 2022 exchange where Lieutenant-Colonel Justin Danwe allegedly contacted Gendarmerie officer Legrand Ngamby to recruit individuals to 'correct' Martinez Zogo, and purportedly requested the deletion of their WhatsApp communications. The defence references a November 12, 2021 service note signed by Eko Eko, which reportedly reassigned the coordination of DGRE operations from Danwe to the agency's Technical Adviser Number One. The lawyers argue that there is no evidence indicating this measure was later overturned. They claim the operation against Zogo circumvented official channels and did not follow the regular chain of command. This statement comes in the wake of the September 14 and 15 hearings at the Yaoundé Military Tribunal, where Danwe asserted he was instructed by his superiors to conduct the surveillance, abduction, and torture of Martinez Zogo. The defence insists that the alleged chain of command must be proven through evidence before any accountability can be assigned to Eko Eko.
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