Four journalists in Cameroon spent five days locked up over a pair of missing eyeglasses, in a case that has become a flashpoint for press freedom concerns in Central Africa. The episode, which unfolded in the capital, Yaoundé, between 16 and 21 September 2026, has drawn criticism not just for the detention itself, but for how long it dragged on after the glasses had reportedly already turned up.
Here is what is documented, what remains disputed, and why the case is resonating with journalists far beyond Cameroon’s borders.
What happened, step by step
The case began at the Palais des Congrès in Yaoundé, where the Islamic Development Bank Group was holding a multi-day event from 14 to 16 September 2026 [1, 2]. Four journalists, François Essomba, Igor Gwet Bibey, Solange Djuikam, and Pierre Mouchili, were covering the proceedings for their respective outlets, Chine Afrique, Inform Plus, Univers Info.net, and Le Procès International [1].
On 16 September, during the closing session presided over by Economy Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey, the minister’s eyeglasses went missing [1]. The four journalists were detained on suspicion of taking them, first held at the 10th district police station in Bastos before being transferred to Yaoundé’s central police station [1].
The glasses were reportedly recovered the following day, inside the minister’s own vehicle, where they had apparently been the entire time [1, 3]. Despite this, the journalists remained in custody for five days total, and were only released on 21 September without any charges filed against them [1, 4].
What the journalists say happened inside
The four have since described their time in custody publicly. François Essomba said he told officers repeatedly that he knew nothing about the matter, but was held anyway without a formal hearing [4]. He recounted one officer’s dismissive response to his protest, a remark suggesting overcrowded cells were simply routine.
Igor Gwet Bibey, a journalist with two decades of experience, called the experience a nightmare, describing a cramped, overcrowded cell shared with people held on unrelated criminal matters, with no functioning toilets, no running water, and infestations of cockroaches, mice, and fleas [4]. These accounts have not been independently verified by outside investigators, but they have not been publicly disputed by police either.
A gap that raised suspicion
One detail has drawn particular scrutiny. According to Cameroonian union officials, a communications official at the Ministry of Economy privately confirmed by phone that the missing glasses had already been found on 14 September, the same day the event opened, and well before the journalists were even taken into custody two days later [5]. That claim has not been confirmed publicly by the ministry itself [5].
The National Union of Information and Communication Professionals, known by its French acronym SPIC, also stated that no formal complaint had ever been filed against the four journalists at any point during the process [5]. If accurate, this raises the question of what legal basis, if any, justified holding them for five days.
The reaction from press and rights groups
SPIC condemned the detentions as arbitrary and abusive in a statement issued on 19 September, while the journalists were still in custody [1]. The union said the four had been present at the event strictly in the course of their professional duties, and it announced plans for legal action and advocacy once they were freed [1].
The Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network, known as REDHAC, also issued a statement on 21 September calling for the journalists’ immediate release, urging respect for the presumption of innocence, and describing the episode as an infringement on press and expression freedoms [1]. Advocates have separately raised a pointed question: hundreds of officials, guests, and other attendees were present at the same closing session, so it remains unclear why suspicion fell specifically on four reporters rather than anyone else in the room.
Why this case fits a larger pattern
Cameroon’s press freedom record predates this incident by many years, and rights organizations have flagged it as a serious ongoing concern. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has documented that Cameroon’s 1990 press law is routinely circumvented to bring journalists before courts on accusations that often go unproven [6]. Freedom House rated Cameroon’s press environment as “Not Free” with a media freedom score of zero out of four as of its most recent full assessment, a rating unchanged since 2018 [7].
The Committee to Protect Journalists has separately described Cameroon as one of the most difficult countries in Africa for journalists, citing a pattern of intimidation, arrest, and physical harassment [8]. Some of Cameroon’s press freedom cases have ended far more gravely than this one. Journalist Martinez Zogo was abducted and killed in 2023, his mutilated body found five days after he disappeared [9]. Ahmed Abba, a correspondent for Radio France Internationale, was held for 876 days over his reporting on Boko Haram before his eventual release in 2017 [10].
Set against that backdrop, the eyeglasses case stands out less for its severity and more for its apparent triviality, journalists held for five days over an item that appears to have never actually been missing from the minister’s possession.
Fact check: documented facts, myths and rumors
Documented: the four journalists were detained on 16 September 2026 and released on 21 September 2026 without charges, a sequence confirmed by multiple independent Cameroonian and regional outlets [1, 2, 3].
Documented, though unconfirmed by the ministry itself: the glasses were found inside the minister’s personal vehicle, according to Cameroonian outlet LeBledParle and corroborated by other regional reports [1, 3].
Disputed, not officially confirmed: the claim that a ministry communications official privately acknowledged the glasses had been found as early as 14 September, two days before the arrests took place. This detail comes from union sources describing a private phone conversation, and has not been publicly verified by the Ministry of Economy [5].
Not yet documented: whether the government or the ministry has issued or plans to issue any formal apology. As of this writing, reports do not indicate any public apology or an official explanation for why the detention lasted five days after the item was reportedly recovered.
Rumor to watch for: any claim that the journalists were formally charged with theft. Available reporting is consistent that no charges were filed at any point, and this should not be confused with cases elsewhere in Cameroon where journalists have faced actual prosecution [1, 4].
The bigger question for press freedom in the region
Cases like this tend to resonate well beyond the country where they happen, because the pattern is familiar to journalists working under pressure in many parts of Africa and Asia alike: a minor, often unverified accusation becomes grounds for extended detention, with legal process arriving late if at all. Advocacy groups in Cameroon have long argued that fragmented journalist unions weaken the ability to respond quickly to such cases, a dynamic seen in other detentions where public pressure took months to build [11].
For now, the four journalists are free, and no legal action against them appears to be pending. Whether the case leads to any accountability for how the detention was handled, or for the reported delay in disclosing that the glasses had already been found, remains to be seen.
Disclaimer
This article is based on public sources available as of 22 September 2026 and is for general information only. Some details, including the exact timeline of when ministry officials became aware the glasses had been recovered, rely on union statements that have not been independently confirmed by Cameroonian authorities, so this account may be updated as more information becomes available. If you notice an error or want to suggest a correction, please contact us so we can review it.
References
- [1] Cameroon: four journalists released after five days in custody over glasses, Benin Web TV
- [2] Affaire des lunettes de Alamine Ousmane Mey: 4 journalistes racontent leur enfer en cellule, Cameroun Actuel
- [3] Lunettesgate au Cameroun: l’affaire des lunettes du ministre Alamine Ousmane Mey, Afrik Inform
- [4] Journalists freed after five days in police custody, Malawi Voice
- [5] Cameroun: des journalistes libérés après une arrestation pour le vol présumé des lunettes d’un ministre, Gabon Media Time
- [6] Cameroon, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
- [7] NGOs call for protection of journalists in Cameroon ahead of country’s UN human rights review, Freedom House
- [8] Cameroon archives, Committee to Protect Journalists
- [9] NGOs call for protection of journalists in Cameroon ahead of country’s UN human rights review, Freedom House
- [10] Ahmed Abba, Wikipedia
- [11] Journalism associations’ fragmentation weakening press freedom in Cameroon, Al Jazeera Media Institute
