The government of Cameroon has dismissed claims of an assassination attempt on the leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement party Maurice Kamto.

The party claimed on Friday it had foiled an attempt by a gendarme officer to assassinate Maurice Kamto in Garoua and called for authorities to take action.

Images of the scene immediately went viral on social media as some supporters of the CRM claimed to have disarmed the gendarme, threw him behind a van and drove to the governor’s office.

However, the government hit back the next day through the Minister of Communication Rene Emmanuel Sadi who said the gendarme had been molested by supporters of the CRM party.

“Without any remorse, talk less of any regrets with regards to the gravity of the acts committed, some militants of the (CRM) have inadvertently tried to justify this assault perpetrated on the personnel of the National Gendarmerie the (gendarme) had tried to undermine the physical integrity of their Political party leader (Maurice Kamto),” Rene Sadi said in a statement.

Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi added that the gendarme and his colleagues were on a classic intelligence gathering mission before the incident and said in vestigations have been opened to establish responsibilities.

He said the government strongly condemns this act on violence on security forces and denounce false allegations which some political actors are trying to use for their selfish gains