Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mimi Mefo Info
Published on 2024-03-21 12:33:04
After benefiting from several extensions, the once almighty figure in the police force of the Littoral region for about ten years was replaced by the divisional commissioner Ondoa Ongono Herve Marie, the regional head of public security in the Littoral, and ordered to vacate his office.
The chapter of Raymond Essogo finally closes in the Douala police force. At the helm of the Regional Police Delegation of the Littoral for 13 years, Raymond Essogo was one of the most ruthless and barbaric police bosses. Officially retired, the former powerful figure in the Littoral police force will be replaced during the handover ceremony presided over by the general delegate for national security, Martin Mbarga Nguele on Friday, March 22, 2024. The divisional commissioner, Raymond Essogo, will be replaced by the divisional commissioner Ondoa Ongono Herve Marie, the regional head of Public Security in the Littoral, who will now take over in the interim.
During the 13 years he spent at the helm of the regional delegation of the Littoral, Raymond Essogo was involved in several scandals. He was known for disregarding judicial decisions and acting at his own discretion. For example, in 2019, Raymond Essogo himself went to the home of Albert Ndzongang with a search warrant. Without a court order, he ended up arresting Maurice Kamto, Albert Ndzongang, Christian Penda Ekoka, and several other members of the MRC political bureau. He then instructed his elements to brutalize the arrested militants. A complaint was filed against him, but it was never pursued.
Commissioner Essogo was notorious for the numerous abuses he committed against individuals, bypassing all procedures. Arbitrary arrests, detentions, and torture were commonplace, according to a victim.
In 2022, Divisional Commissioner Essogo Raymond was accused of illegally using police personnel, resources, and equipment, as well as instructing his former colleagues through covert means and signing documents without authorization.
In a letter to the president, Patrick Flavien Essengue, a dismissed police officer, recalled that Commissioner Raymond Essogo had been the head of police in the Littoral for 12 years, of which 08 were normal and 04 were due to extensions.
An extension “in opacity,” criticized the letter’s signatory, who added that the divisional commissioner had already been informed of his retirement but his “replacement for this prestigious position has still not been installed.”
The author of the document pleaded with the president to put an end to what he called the “obscurity” within the police force in the Littoral, where the administration was “injured” and used means of “error,” calling for the appointment of a new regional delegate of national security for the Littoral.
In another letter to the Secretary General of the Presidency, another police officer denounced a boss with “abominable” service records. “Today, the police in the Littoral region is like a security company where Commissioner Essogo is the CEO.” “The police officer in the Littoral region no longer primarily works according to police regulations but rather to fulfill the will of Commissioner Essogo,” a situation that tarnishes the image of the police in Douala, where “the police officer is at the mercy of everyone, surveilled, impoverished, scorned, exploited, dishonored, and stripped of authority and dignity,” lamented the officer.
Commissioner Essogo was also involved in a firearms case, but he enjoyed support from high-ranking officials guaranteeing him impunity.
Albert Atangana
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
