Former presidential spokesperson Ike Ngouoni discusses his arrest, detention, and the inner workings of the Ali Bongo Ondimba administration
via Gabon Review2 min read
In an interview with Jeune Afrique on April 21, 2026, Ike Ngouoni Aïla Oyouomi, former spokesperson for the Gabonese presidency, spoke about his arrest, five years of detention, and the power dynamics under Ali Bongo Ondimba. Released in April 2024, Ngouoni described his November 2019 arrest as "nothing but a plot, a political machination." He considers himself "collateral damage" in an effort to remove Brice Laccruche Alihanga, then chief of staff to President Ali Bongo. Ngouoni, who was attached to Laccruche Alihanga's office, became a target in this context. Ngouoni detailed the judicial process against him, stating he was taken directly to solitary confinement at Camp Roux on the day of his arrest and hidden from his lawyers for three days. He was then presented to an investigating judge without a fair hearing, where he felt the outcome was predetermined. He reported pressure from investigators to incriminate Brice Laccruche and was told by the instructing magistrate, "We know you did nothing, but you know it's political, you know it comes from above." Ngouoni refused and was sentenced to eight years. Regarding the betrayal he experienced, Ngouoni stated that the decision could not have been made without the President's approval. He also described manipulation by First Lady Sylvia Bongo, who summoned him to demand the codes for the presidential social media accounts, a maneuver he believes was designed to make him complacent. He criticized Noureddine Bongo, the President'
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