Is Paul Biya afraid of his men? Why punish only the small people who only obeyed their chiefs’ orders?

The public was much surprised by Paul Biya’s decision to dismiss the police inspector and constable who kidnapped an Equatorial Guinea colonel on asylum in Yaounde, Cameroon. Police inspector …. and constable …. were terminated without any severance benefits, to add to the severity of their punishment.
Despicable as the kidnapping may be the men did not act alone. They acted on the orders of their superiors that they are in duty bound to obey. Many believe the president made an important error of judgment. He should not have sacked the policemen.
And if he must dismiss the small men why did he not also punish the senior police officers who used their positions to facilitate the kidnapping? If it should be argued that the senior officers’ punishment is yet to come, it is the more reason why the junior officers should not have been punished in advance.
The junior policemen’s dismissal raises an important question about obedience in the forces. Are there circumstances or cases in which a policeman can decide to disobey the orders of his superiors when obedience without questioning is made a cardinal virtue in the forces?
Ian Blair, London’s metropolitan police chief had to resign in recent weeks after assuming responsibility for a homicide by some of his cops. They erroneously cut down in a hail of bullets a Brazilian electrical technician whom they took for one of the terrorists who had bombed the London underground.
In the Yaounde kidnapping the responsibility of the senior police chiefs is a lot stronger. The cops may deserve some punishment but terminating them and without any benefits appears overdone.

When Paul Biya acts as he has done the impression he conveys to the public is one of injustice, out of fear of his own big and powerful chief.