Chad authorities detain Borkou provincial council president over defamation charges

The president of the Borkou Provincial Council, Ahmat Bedei Toullomi, was taken into custody Thursday late afternoon in N’Djamena and transferred to the General Coordination of the Judicial Police, according to security sources.

The arrest occurred inside the premises of the La Résidence hotel, just minutes before 5 p.m. It follows a legal proceeding initiated after a defamation and public insult complaint was filed against him.

According to documents obtained by local sources, the complaint was lodged by Goudje Gueillet Hemchi and Kodou Omari, who accuse Ahmat Bedei Toullomi of making false social media posts. In these online statements, he reportedly implicated them in a cocaine trafficking ring operating in Chad.

The complainants strongly deny these allegations, calling them « entirely false, baseless, and slanderous », and argue that the accusations have seriously damaged their personal and professional reputation.

An arrest warrant for Ahmat Bedei Toullomi was issued on August 4, 2026, by the prosecutor’s office near the N’Djamena Court of First Instance, requiring him to appear for questioning regarding the charges against him.

Local sources report that the Borkou provincial council president had previously been summoned multiple times but failed to respond. After more than ten days without compliance, law enforcement proceeded with his detention to ensure he faced the relevant authorities for questioning.

Minutes after his arrest, a post appeared on his Facebook page at 5:10 p.m. stating: « Either the Marshal stands with us all, or the traffickers are stronger than the law. I have been abducted. »

At this stage, the detention is part of a formal judicial procedure and not an arbitrary action.