Yaounde Military Tribunal: Witchdoctor Accused Of Terrorism, Counterfeiting

Hamed Abraham was picked up in Chad in February 2015 with a fake Chadian identity card.

A Cameroonian witchdoctor, Hamed Abraham, alias Tchek Tidjani, is on trial at the Yaounde Military Tribunal on a four-count charge of abetting terrorism, counterfeiting, forging official documents and non-possession of the National Identity Card. According to the prosecution, the offences are punishable under Articles 74, 97 and 205 of the Penal Code, Article 2 of Law No. 2014/028 of 23/12/2014 and Article 5 of Law No. 90/042 of 19/12/1990.  

The matter came up for hearing on October 24, 2016, with Col. Abega Mbezoa as judge. She was assisted by Lt. Col. Mboa Guy Archange and Major Ndem Victor; while Major Nzie Pierrot Narcisse and Captain Nkoa Akouna led the prosecution. Captain Akouna in her final submission recalled that Hamed was arrested in Abeché, Chad, in February 2015 with the country’s identity card and should therefore be declared guilty on all counts.

Counsel for Hamed, Barrister Boumbhet, argued that investigations by the Directorate General of External Research did not establish any connection between the accused and the Boko Haram terrorist group. Hamed Abraham, he added, was a witchdoctor based in Tibati in Adamawa Region, who travelled all over the sub-region plying his trade peacefully. Hamed travelled to Chad to teach the Koran to the children of his client, Abdoul Nasir, in Abeché and...