Board Chair Of REDHAC, Barrister ALICE NKOM, Was Interrogated At SED On Monday, January 20, 2025

MRC leader, Prof Maurice Kamto, has instructed a group of lawyers affiliated to his party, to defend Madam Nkom ‘pro bono’, that is, for free.

 Barrister Emmanuel Simh and Kah Walla, tell President of Military Tribunal, that If Alice Nkom has to be arrested because of the meeting in Germany, they should also be arrested.

80 year old doyen of Cameroonian lawyers, Senior Barrister Alice Nkom, who is the Board Chair of the renowned Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network commonly known by the French acronym, REDHAC, was interrogated by the ‘Service Central des Recherches Judiciaires de la Gendarmerie National’, that is, the Central Service of Judicial Research of the National Gendarmerie, on Monday, January 20, 2025. The service is located at the Secretariat of State for Defence commonly known by the French acronym, SED, in Yaounde.

Barrister Dr Fotso Chebou Kamdem Fostine, who is the lead deffence lawyer of Barrister Alice Nkom in the matter, and who accompanied the REDHAC Board Chair to SED on January 20, said her client was serene during the interrogation, and responded to all the questions. She said Madam Nkom also maintain her position that she was right to destroy the seal that the DO of Douala 1 put at the door of the head office of REDHAC at Bali, Douala on December 10, 2024, because in the first place, the December 6 decision that was taken by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, to suspend REDHAC for three months and seal its offices, was illegal and thus wrong.

Barrister Fotso Fostine said at the end, Barrister Alice Nkom was told to return to her home. They however do not know what will next happen. However what is normally supposed to happen is that the Central Service of Judicial Research at the National Gendarmerie will review the interrogation of Madam Nkom, and if they think that there are more questions for her to answer, she will be summoned again. If not, the service will send a report to the authority that asked for the investigation,  and it will be left to the authority to decide on whether Madam Alice Nkom should be sent to the Military Tribunal, or that she has no case to answer and thus the matter thrown into the trash can.

Alleged Threat To State Security / Sponsoring Terrorism

The Board Chair of REDHAC, Barrister Alice Nkom, appeared at SED to respond to summon No. 000673 / 4-CONV / GN / 247 that was issued on December 31, 2024 as part of an investigation that had been opened, based on some accusations leveled against her by a so called civil society organization known as ‘L’Observatoire du Developpement Societal’, ODS, that is, Observatory of Societal Development. The summon was signed by Chief of the Central Service of Judicial Research at  the National Gendarmerie, Lieutenant Colonel Bialo  Dieudonne, and  was delivered to Barrister Alice Nkom  in  her office in Douala by a bailiff, Barrister Kamtschuing.

In a complaint filed with the Judicial authorities in Yaounde on December 16, 2024, the so called civil societal organization, ODS, that belongs to a certain Lilian Koulou (male) who hails from the  South Region, accused the Board Chair of REDHAC, Barrister Alice Nkom, of threat to State security, for sponsoring terrorism, and for rebellion. That was how the Commissaire du Gouvenement’ (Attorney General) at the Military Tribunal in Yaounde, came to instruct the Central Service of Judicial Research at the National Gendarmerie’, to investigate the accusations. So the investigation opened against Barrister Alice Nkom as SED, and on which basis she was summoned to SED, is not, the initiative of SED.

ODS President Grants ‘Press Conference”  

Meanwhile the President of  the so called Observatory of Societal Development (ODS), Lilian Koulou, organized a rather secret press conference  in Yaounde a couple of days ago, to which he invited only a handful of friendly reporters. The Mentor News however received a video recording of the press conference.

In his preliminary presentation at the press conference, the President of ODS accused Barrister Alice Nkom, Prof Maurice Kamto (National President of MRC), bloggers, and the Cameroon media, of defamation against his person. He said he was being insulted and accused of being an agent of the regime, charged with doing dirty work for the regime, for a fee. That of course is a TRUISM.  From all indications, Koulou is being used by a member of regime, to do this dirty job against Madam Nkom.

Only The President Of The Republic and MPs, Have Immunity

At the press conference, the President of the ODS said very little about the accusations he reportedly filed on December 16. 2025 against  the Board Chair of REDHAC, Barrister Alice Nkom, which is said to be the thing behind the investigation opened at SED against the lady, for allegedly being a threat to State Security, for sponsoring terrorism, and  for rebellion. Very serious accusations, indeed!  Koulou claimed that he has an audio tape that contains evidences to substantiate the accusations that he made against Madam Nkom. He however would not say how he got the so called audio tape, and whether he has become a spy or an informant of the regime.

The President of ODS who looked very nervous even at his secret press conference, repeatedly  accused  Barrister Alice Nkom,   for alleged  rebellion  and insurrection against the State, for having on December 10, 2024 in Douala, destroyed an administrative seal,  whereas she is  said be a senior lawyer. He also attacked the leader of MRC, Prof Maurice Kamto, whom he mockingly said is been referred to as an international lawyer, but he is supporting Barrister Alice Nkom who destroyed an administrative seal. He said the Board Chair of REDHAC, Barrister Alice Nkom, is supposed to be severely sanctioned, and that only the President of the Republic and MPs have immunity, and that lawyers, don’t have immunity.

Barrister Simh And Kah Walla Asked To Be Also Arrested, If – – – –

It should be noted that the evidences which the President of ODS, Koulou, claims to have against Barrister Alice Nkom, Is a recording that was done in a meeting of some Cameroonians in the Diaspora that recently took place in Germany. Some prominent Cameroonians back at home like Barrister Alice Nkom, Madam Edith Kah Walla, and Barrister Emmanuel Simh (1^st Vice National President of MRC), were invited to the meeting as members of the civil society. In a video of part of the meeting which circulated on the social media, one of the Cameroonians in Diaspora was heard talking about the need to start a fund raising now. But it is not clear whether the fund was meant for what.

However, when the member of the regime, started looking for ways to nail Madam Nkom, following her standoff with administrative authorities in Douala, over the issue of the controversial administrative seal that she destroyed, the member of the regime and the President of ODS tried to manipulate the video or audio recording that talked about fund raising at the meeting in Germany. The  tried to manipulate opinions to think that the funds that were proposed to be raised, was  meant t to be used to  sponsor terrorism in Cameroon, and that Barrister Alice Nkom who attended the meeting, is thus a threat to State security, and so on. That was how the President of ODS came to file a complaint against Barrister Alice Nkom, at the Yaounde Military Tribunal.

But things have gotten complicated for the member of the regime and his agent of ODS, as Barrister Simh and Kah Walla, addressed a correspondence to the President of  the Yaounde Military Tribunal, and explained the agenda of the meeting in Germany, as  well the purpose of the fund raising that some participants proposed. They swore that the objective of the meeting as well as the proposal for a fund raising, had nothing to do with funds to sponsor terrorism or any criminal act. In conclusion, Barrister Simh and Madam Kah Walla, made bold to tell the President of  the Yaounde Military Tribunal, that if Madam Alice Nkom has to be arrested, they too should also be arrested, as  they also participated in the meeting in Germany.

January 14 Summon Postponed To January 20

Meanwhile Barrister Alice Nkom was first summoned to appear at SED on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.  But coincidentally, January 14, 2025 was her 80^th birthday or anniversary. Madam Nkom said she would celebrate that day at home with her family including grandchildren and friends. It is not everybody that gets to 80 years.  So she is in fact one of the privileged few, and should be so respected. It should be noted that one of the children of Madam Nkom is a medical doctor based in Germany.

Meanwhile, Madam Nkom’s lawyers, went to the Central Service of Judicial Research of the National Gendarmerie at SED before that January 14,, explained the situation, and requested that the date for her appearance at SED be postponed to a later date. Fortunately an agreement was reached by the two parties, and a new date, January 20, was fixed for Madam Alice Nkom to appear at SED. That is why except for unforeseen circumstances, Barrister Alice Nkom, and her lawyers, will be at SED in Yaounde, tomorrow, Monday, 20, 2025.

  Prof Kamto Instructs MRC Lawyers To Defend Madam Alice Nkom

Meanwhile in written  statement made on January 4, 2025, the  National President of MRC, Prof Maurice Kamto, asserted that  Barrister Alice Nkom is an eminent figure in the public life our country, and that her voice is thus of  importance in the country. Kamto said Madam Alice Nkom leads many fights, but frankly pointed out that MRC does not support the ideas of some of her fights.

However the MRC leader as well pointed out that the issue that Madam Alice Nkom is facing today, is not about her fights, He said the t issue today is that Barrister Nkom has become a target of harassment, blackmail, lie-telling,  threats and so on, by  the regime, and that this was absolutely inadmissible. “We cannot continue to see what is happening to her, and do nothing”, Prof Kamto said. He said what is what is happening to Madam Alice Nkom is not supposed to leave any Cameroonian, whether female or male, indifferent, and that supporting Madam Nkom in this matter IS DEFENDING THE VALUES OF LIBERTY AND DIGNITY.

The MRC leader disclosed that  in the face of this  unfortunate situation, he has mobilized  a group of lawyers  affiliated to the party, and led by Barrister Sylvain Souop, to defend Barrister Alice in this matter ‘pro – bono’, that is for free. Madam Nkom in reaction expressed her profound gratitude to the MRC Leader, Maurice Kamto.  However from the look of things, the MRC lawyers will only come in, in numbers, if the current matter against Barrister Alice Nkom, goes to court.