‎"Lunettesgate": Four Cameroonian Journalists Freed After Five Days Over Minister's Eyeglasses, Found in His Own Carl

Four Cameroonian journalists detained for five days over allegations that they stole Economy Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey's eyeglasses have been released without charge, in a case journalists' unions have condemned as an arbitrary attack on press freedom.

Who was detained
The journalists, François Essomba of Chine Afrique, Igor Gwet Bibey of Inform Plus, Solange Djuikam of Univers Info Net and Pierre Mouchili of Le Procès International, were arrested on September 16 at the Palais des Congrès in Yaoundé, during the closing of the Islamic Development Bank Group Days, an event chaired by Minister Mey.

According to the National Union of Information and Communication Professionals (SPIC), they were initially taken to the 10th district police station in Bastos before being transferred to Central Police Station No. 1. They were released on Monday, September 21, with no charges announced.

The glasses were never missing
The eyeglasses at the centre of the case had, in fact, never left the minister's possession. Reports say they were found inside Mey's personal vehicle, resting on the leather seats, the day after the journalists' first questioning.

According to SPIC, the ministry's own communications official reportedly confirmed by phone that the glasses had already been found on Monday, September 14, the same day the first interpellations began. Despite this, the information was never publicly confirmed by the ministry, and the journalists remained in custody for days afterward.

SPIC also said that during its intervention, no official complaint had ever been formally registered against the four journalists, raising further questions about the legal basis for their detention.

The backlash
SPIC issued a statement firmly denouncing the detention conditions as "arbitrary" and "abusive." Journalists' unions and media advocates have criticised the arrests as an attack on press freedom and demanded an official apology. Critics have also asked why only these four reporters were targeted when hundreds of people attended the same event.

About the minister
Alamine Ousmane Mey, 60, has served as Cameroon's Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development since March 2018, after serving as Minister of Finance from 2011 to 2018. Born in Kousséri in Cameroon's Far North Region, he is the son of a former provincial governor under President Ahmadou Ahidjo's government.

A pattern that worries press advocates
This is not Cameroon's first clash between the state and journalists. RFI Hausa-service journalist Ahmed Abba was imprisoned for 876 days over his reporting on Boko Haram before his 2017 release, and journalist Germain Cyrille Ngota Ngota died in Kondengui Central Prison in 2010 after being detained alongside three colleagues over a document dispute.

Cameroon's press freedom advocates cite such cases as part of a broader concern about how quickly minor disputes can escalate into prolonged detentions of journalists.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880
References
Cameroon News Agency (CNA), post on X, Sept. 21, 2026 names of the four journalists and confirmation of release without charge. https://twitter.com/CMRNewsAgency/status/2102124233619108026

Benin Web TV, "Cameroon: Four journalists released after five days in custody over glasses," Sept. 2026 SPIC's account of the arrest location, police stations, and LeBledParle's report on where the glasses were found. https://beninwebtv.com/en/cameroon-four-journalists-released-after-five-days-in-custody-over-glasses

Malawi Voice, "Journalists freed after five days in police custody," Sept. 22, 2026. https://www.malawivoice.com/2026/09/22/journalists-freed-after-five-days-in-police-custody/

Afrik-Inform, "« Lunettesgate » au

Cameroun: l'affaire des lunettes du ministre Alamine Ousmane Mey," Sept. 2026 detailed narrative of the event and discovery of the glasses. https://afrik-inform.com/cameroun-lunettesgate-journalistes-detention-arbitraire/

Gabon Media Time, "Cameroun: des journalistes libérés après une arrestation pour le vol présumé des lunettes d'un ministre," Sept. 2026 SPIC statement, dates (Sept. 14 and 16), and confirmation that no formal complaint was registered. https://gabonmediatime.com/cameroun-des-journalistes-liberes-apres-une-arrestation-pour-le-vol-presume-des-lunettes-dun-ministre/

Wikipedia, "Alamine Ousmane Mey" background on the minister. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamine_Ousmane_Mey

Wikipedia, "Ahmed Abba" background on prior press freedom cases in Cameroon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Abba

Wikipedia, "Germain Cyrille Ngota Ngota" background on prior press freedom cases in Cameroon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germain_Cyrille_Ngota_Ngota