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Congo:Jean Francois Ndenguet, the profile of a rogue police officer

November 06, 2014

General Jean Francois Ndenguet General Jean Francois Ndenguet[/caption] General Jean Francois Ndenguet is perhaps the longest serving head of the Congolese Police Force. He is presiding over the Congolese Police since 1997. But he is not appreciated by most officers, who think, his appointment is not based on merit but on tribal affiliations and his alleged role during the ouster of Congo’s second democratically elected president, Professor Pascal Lissouba in 1997. The first democratically elected President of Congo was Reverend Father Fulbert Youlou. Even diehard loyalists of President Denis Sassou Nguesso doubt General Jean Francois Ndenguet’s prime role played in the return to power in 1997 of their hero. Those who doubt his loyalty says, all what Ndenguet did, was, to take part in the 1999 beach massacre of Congolese refugees returning from exile in the DRC. General Jean Francois Ndenguet was a former immigration officer and has also worked at the embassy of Congo in Kinshasa. In what function, did he work at the Congo’s embassy in Kinshasa?  Details are still very sketchy. He is a man who is affable and likes to take care of his looks as though he was a model. The other thing with Jean Francois Ndenguet is that, he has no personality. Besides taking himself for a model, he also spends his time trying to look like President Denis Sassou Nguesso. But behind his smiles, charming looks and dark sun glasses, the head of the Congolese police force is a violent man, who nonetheless keeps to his promises and he is punctual. KGB Style Perhaps because he is aware that, he is heading better educated and best trained officers, he has a disguised inferiority complex, whenever he meets educated people. To impress the educated that he comes across, he likes peppering or spices his conversations with phrases from famous French philosophers. He operates like an officer of the KGB, with infiltrators placed all over, monitoring the conversations of his colleagues as well as those of journalists. He also enjoys taping telephone conversations. He also like framing up his rivals and he see threats all over and he is very zealous.  He also doesn’t like independent minded journalists and free press. He hate westerners in chief French and Americans, He also doesn’t like NGOs or human rights organizations. To him every independent journalist is a spy. In reality, he is afraid that, a free and independent journalist may uncover his nefarious actions in the city and around the country.  In every newsroom, he has a journalist or two who reports to him directly about all what is said about him and the Police. He also spies on all political leaders, be they of the ruling party or the opposition. However, his people of predilection are leaders of the opposition whose phones are constantly tapped. He prefers that everyone or institution in Congo should be attacked or investigated by the press, not the Police. He is a professional manipulator and finances trade union movements and wants to control everything, just to show that he is indispensable. Intimidation On the 31st of January this year, he asked Colonel Bakala Mayinda, the head of the Special Service of the Police to call me for questioning. It was around 2pm and when I arrived at the office of the Colonel, he told me that, I should stop criticizing the police. But Mr. Bakala was a kind and professional officer, he never wanted to execute to the letter, the orders of his boss because he felt that, it was unfounded. It simply means that, not all officers working within the Congolese Police are human rights violators. Jean Francois Ndenguet was crossed that, in a morning TV breakfast show, anchored by Gustelle Klaire, called Ca Discute Le Matin, and broadcast on MNTV, in which I was a contributor, I praised Colonel Gerard Yengo, the author of Book on the negative influence of evangelical churches in Congo and I also praise Colonel Jean Aive Alakoua .  I did not know that, Jean Francois Ndenguet did not like both officers.  Anyway, what I said did not warrant his anger, for I said those Colonels were brilliant officers who were at home doing nothing.  And it was and it is still true today. Then on the same day, a colleague of mine, whose name I won’t mentioned, called and told me that, the director of cabinet of Jean Francois Ndenguet by name Oxance Langa has told him that: if I (Elie smith) do disappear, it would be a good thing, in other words, Jean France Ndenguet wanted my death or was plotting my assassination. I took it seriously, for, two Congolese Journalists have lost their lives in mysterious circumstances in the country already. They are Bruno Ossebi, burnt in his house with his two children and the second one was Joseph NGOUALA.   Tormentor of his neighbors Jean Francois Ndenguet is likes popularity and has nicknamed himself: Tiger. He is violent and beats up his wife regularly and he loves DRC music and musicians. While he is not respected by other officers who consider him a coward, his childhood friends describe him as crafty, proud and violent. Regarding supposed cowardice of General Jean Francois Ndenguet. It is claimed by a Police officer that, during the trial of Colonel Marcel Nstourou, that, he partly contributed in plotting his fall, after the March 4th 2012 explosions, which took place at an ammunition depot North of Brazzaville.  He was invited by the judges to come and give his testimony on what he knew against Colonel Marcel Nstourou. Instead of going to testify in court, he decided to run to his village and wanted another police officer to represent him. While the person or police officer who gave me the information thinks it was an act of cowardice, I think it was not. He is just behaving the like the feline he is nicknamed after. His hopes and that which he tells everyone who cares to listen is that, he wants to become either the minister of internal security or minister of interior. General Jean Francois Ndenguet, like most officers of the Congolese army and police is a businessman and uses his position to extort businessmen and investors. He is a very proud man who likes to show off and he once took me to his large mansion under construction in the populous neighborhood of Ouenze and he told me that, this is 30 years of hard work and I am waiting for my retirement. And in his style, he is always threatening; he told me again, I will expel you from this country, if you ever touch the police in the course of your job. And he added; I am the backbone of this regime.  While he lives in affluence, his neighbors are in abject poverty and they dread him because he terrorizes them. Like a real burly, who torments his neighbors, he sometimes have flashes of kindness and opens his gate to throw parties for the poor. They can’t refuse because they are poor and failure to present yourself means you are against him.  Occasionally, he closes the streets leading to his house because of his security. For his neighbors have to walk long distances to get to their homes. But no one dares to protest. Disdain for the children [caption id="attachment_13837" align="alignright" width="300"]Elie Smith Elie Smith[/caption] General Jean Francois Ndenguet doesn’t have any respect for politicians, be they of the ruling Congolese Workers Party or the PCT and its affiliates or the opposition. The other people that he doesn’t respect which is a paradox are the family of President Denis Sassou Nguesso. He has a particular disdain for the children of the president and says it loud and clear to everyone who cares to listen, that, the children of the President of the Republic are worthless and as soon as their father is not around, he will put them on the right track. Whatever that means, it is left for jean François Ndenguet to explain. The only person and member of the family of the President that he has an ounce of respect is Jean Dominique Okemba. His respect for Jean Dominique is based on the fact that, he (Jean François Ndenguet) is what he is today because of Mr. Okemba.  Mr. Okemba is a distant nephew to the President of the Republic and the secretary general of the National Security Council. The ounce of respect that, Jean Francois Ndenguet has for Jean Dominique Okemba has currently dwindled, for he tell everyone that, he is the one that does the all the work for Jean Dominique Okemba, in other words, he is claiming that, Jean Dominique Okemba is incompetent. Ruined the reputation of the Police Opportunistic like a feline, he nevertheless has two giants’ portraits in his office. On his right is that of Jean Dominique Okemba and on his left that of President Denis Sassou Nguesso. Raymond Zepherine Mboulou is the minister of interior and his de facto boss, but Jean Francois Ndenguet doesn’t respect him. He is the one who calls the shot and the minister follows. Jean Francois Ndenguet has become so powerful that, he has created a special police unit within the National Police Force. His special Police unit is abbreviated GRB. They take instructions directly from him and not from the ministry of interior and at the Ouenze Madzadza Police station, which is known as his private police stations, where rape and summary executions takes place, he has constructed a special  building to house his unit or private militia. He has ruined the reputation of the Police to a point that, every one you ask who lives at the Ouenze Madzadza neighborhood and beyond knows that, all armed robberies in the city and other violent crimes such as rape are organized by Jean Francois Ndenguet. His roguish nature is alleged to known by the President of the Republic. One person who is related to the president, once told me that, the president was once jokingly saying that, the reason why he has allowed Ndenguet for too long at the head of the Police is because, he is a criminal and knows how to fight crime and also that, even drug addicts know Ndenguet, because he consumes drugs as well.  Whether the president was being sarcastic or not is another story all together. But it is beyond comprehension, why the president can allow at the head of the Police such as corrosive person who tarnishes his reputation of the country and the Police.  But what the president did not say or did not know is that, whenever General Jean Francois Ndenguet has winds that, there are plans for his removal as head of the Police, there is an increase of crime wave around the country, especially in the cities of Brazzaville and Pointe Noire. Jean Francois Ndenguet operates like an arsonist and a firefighter at the same time. Ambitious While working in Congo, before my expulsion, two Policemen working for the judicial wing of the police came into my office and presented me with a memorandum detailing the criminal way that Jean Francois Ndenguet operates. They wrote in their memorandum, that, their Boss had a team of Policemen, specialized in armed robbery and assassinations.  They also said, those killed by the Police were taken to the north of the city of Brazzaville and thrown in a river called Lefini. I don’t know whether what was written in the memorandum was true or false. But, I also do not think that, the twosome will walk in to my room just to frame-up their boss. Anyway, in the city of Brazzaville, everyone knows that, he is the one who stages most armed robberies. The head of the Congolese Police Force is obsessed with popularity and acts in populist manner as though he was a politician. On the 16th of September, that is six days after the armed robbery in my home, I went to see him in his office at his invitation. He told me that, ordinary Congolese love him and that, only the corrupt elite hated him. And in a bid to be popular and also prepare the ground work for his civil political career, he has tried to head several local football clubs.  Even though he is trabalist and despises southern Congolese, especially those of the Pool region, he shamelessly wanted to head a mythical football team of the south of Brazzaville called Diable Noir FC. After failing in his attempt to control Diable Noir FC, he tried to manage two football teams of the north of Brazzaville, namely, Etoile and Cara. The worst is that, General Jean Francois now has presidential ambitions and thinks that, he will succeed President Denis Sassou Nguesso in 2016. *Elie Smith is an African Journalist who was a recent victim of questionable attacks and expulsion from the Congo.]]>

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