Djeukam Tchameni, a figure in the Cameroonian opposition, has recounted the circumstances of his arrest on October 24, 2025, in Douala, the same night as Anicet Ekane. In a chilling account, he describes a nighttime raid on his home by a dozen armed men in civilian clothes.
Around 10 p.m., these individuals forced entry into his property, where his wife's school, a boarding school, and his private apartments were located. After forcing the guard to open the gate, they attempted to break down the main door of the building. Alerted by the noise, Djeukam Tchameni approached, but the assailants demanded that he identify himself before threatening to destroy the door. Kicks and rifle butt strikes then rained down on the glass door, forcing him to open it to prevent its complete destruction.
As soon as he opened the door, he was brutally seized, hooded, and taken to the back of a vehicle. His phones were snatched from him after being forced to unlock them. During the journey, he was searched and robbed of 200,000 FCFA. Thanks to the conversations of his captors, he understood that Anicet Ekane was in another vehicle and that the destination was the SED (State Defense Secretariat) in Yaoundé.
Arriving at the SED, he was handed over to the gendarmes and then taken to Lieutenant-Colonel Bialo's office. Refusing to speak without the presence of a lawyer, he was placed in a cell. His interrogation did not begin until two days later, in the presence of his counsel. He was kept in custody under "psychologically untenable" conditions until December 5, 2025, when he was transferred to Nkondengui prison.
During his arrest, the assailants searched his apartments and the boarding school, taking away phones, computers, modems, passports, bank cards, 2,000 euros, 500 dollars, a safe containing family and professional documents, as well as 3 million FCFA in cash. Despite repeated requests from his lawyers and his wife, these items were never returned.
The arrest of Djeukam Tchameni and Anicet Ekane took place in a context of post-election tensions, with both men having supported the candidacy of Issa Tchiroma Bakary against the outgoing president Paul Biya. Ekane died in detention on December 1, 2025, sparking outrage and demands for an independent investigation into the circumstances of his death. His lawyer had reported that his client had never been formally charged and that his oxygen concentrator had been confiscated. Tchameni was charged on December 5 with "undermining state security" and placed in pre-trial detention in Nkondengui prison.
Conditions of detention at the SED have been denounced by several human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, which has documented cases of torture and inhuman treatment. Detainees are often subjected to torture, incommunicado detention, and deplorable living conditions, including overcrowding, lack of hygiene, and lack of adequate medical care. The disappearance of property confiscated during Djeukam Tchameni's arrest also raises questions about respect for judicial guarantees in Cameroon.
