Africa: The EBOMAF v Penda case – an end to impunity for “mercenaries of the pen”
The verdict has fallen like a hammer blow, and it carries the force of a symbol. Six months in prison for Saïd Penda, for defamation and dissemination of false information against the CEO of the EBOMAF Group. The Plateau Court of First Instance, which delivered the verdict, did not merely settle a private dispute. It drew a red line, affirming that Africa’s sovereignty will no longer be a playground for hired destabilizers.
Since June 2025, the CEO of the EBOMAF Group an undisputed leader in the construction sector in West Africa had been the target of a systematic smear campaign.
Saïd Penda, under the veneer of investigative journalism, multiplied defamatory publications and the spread of false information.
The objective was to harm the honor of an African builder and to weaken one of the rare groups capable of competing with Western multinationals on the continent. The Plateau Court of First Instance put an end to this charade.
This verdict does not punish a journalist; it sanctions an agent of destabilization. Penda’s style was not information; it was digital toxicity.
By choosing to turn his influence into a weapon of reputational destruction, he betrayed the ethics of his profession.
This conviction marks the end of impunity for those who, lurking in the shadows of social networks, thought they could bring down industrial empires with a barrage of sponsored lies.
Biased journalism, fueled by hidden agendas, no longer has a place in an Africa that demands rigor and evidence.
It is time to speak clearly. Attacking EBOMAF means attacking a pillar of African economic sovereignty.
Behind these media campaigns often lie the interests of imperialist forces, annoyed to see local expertise reclaiming its rightful place on major projects.
Saïd Penda and his ilk act as Trojan horses for the old world. But the Africa of the new generation has changed.
It no longer tolerates its own sons acting as accomplices to foreign forces to sabotage national progress. Indiscipline and betrayal are no longer options.
Justice has reminded us that freedom of expression is not a license to destroy. Responsibility is the price of liberty. This judgment is a signal sent to all the “sellouts” who think slander is a profitable business.
The sovereignty of African countries depends on the protection of their economic champions.
Anyone who henceforth engages in spreading fake news to destabilize institutions or sovereign leaders will have to answer for their actions before the full rigor of the law. Recess is over; the time for national discipline has begun.
Maurice K.ZONGO
