The head of the Country’s General Directorate of External Intelligence and the Director of operations were also earlier arrested in connection with the murder. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) together with its affiliate, the Syndicat National des Journalistes du Cameroun (SNJC) welcome this development and call for the prosecution of all those implicated in the murder of journalist Martinez Zogo.
Martinez Zogo was abducted by unknown assailants in front of a police station in the capital Yaounde on 17 January and his mutilated body was found in Ebogo, 15 kilometers away from the city . He was the managing director of Yaounde-based radio Amplitude FM and host of popular daily programme, Embouteillages.
According to local reports, Cameroonian President Paul Biya has ordered an investigation into his murder.
As well as owning L'Anecdote media group, Amougou Belinga is close to several ministers and controls holdings in banking, finance, insurance and property.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said that the arrests of suspects in the gruesome murder of journalist Martinez Zogo were a welcome development and the government of Cameroon must do everything possible to ensure that the investigations are transparent and the killers and masterminds be brought to justice. “Too often journalists are murdered without any form of credible investigations into these crimes by their governments. This is an opportunity for Cameroon to eradicate the culture of impunity for crimes committed against journalists,” said Bellanger.