6 Nigerian varsity professors, others detained in Cameroon over treason charges seek help

Six Nigerian university lecturers, some refugees and asylum seekers, detained in the Republic of Cameroon, after their alleged illegal deportation from Nigeria have called on the National Assembly to intervene for their immediate and unconditional release.

They have particularly written to the House of Representatives, appealing for the intervention of the lower house of the nation's legislature to assist in releasing them from Cameroon prison where they have been detained since January 2018, after their alleged illegal deportation.

The petitioners who in their petition to the House, claimed they were all Cameroonian nationality, described their deportation as illegal.

They stated that they were illegally abducted and deported from Nigeria on January 5th 2018 to Cameroon, on “frivolous allegations of plotting to destabilize the government of La Republique du Cameroon (LRC) President Mr. Paul Biya.”

The petitioners, in their petition submitted to the House Committee on Public Petitions through their lawyers, alleged that they were unfairly tried and incarcerated in Cameroon prison.

According to them, two separate judgments in Nigeria had been ruled in their favour in connection with the matter.

They alleged that in spite of the  judgments by Nigerian courts that their arrest and deportation were illegal, they were yet to be released and consequently compensated financially in line with the court's judgements.

While regretting that they were still being held at the Kondengui Security Detention facility in Cameroon, the petitioners, according to their lawyers, recalled that the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UN-HRC-WGAD) in Communication 59/2022 of 14th October 2022, found their arrest and detention by Nigeria and Cameroun arbitrary and illegal and it has asked both Nigeria and Cameroun to unconditionally free the victims and pay them appropriate compensation.

The petition was presented on their behalf by Prof Carlson Anyangwe, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, Barr Fru Joseph Awah, Barr Abdul Oroh and Barr Mbinkar Ernestine Singeh.

They prayed the House to “Cause the government of Nigeria to institute an urgent action to secure the implementation of Communication 59/2022 of 14th October 2022 of the UN-HRC-WGAD calling for the release of the Petitioners."

They also prayed the House to do the following: “Cause the Government of Nigeria to take action and implement the rulings in the 3 judgments of the Federal High Court of Abuja in 2019, ordering the release and compensation of these Petitioners.

“Cause Nigeria to leverage on the Abuja 2002 ruling in the case of Kelvin Ngwang Ngumne et al Vs the FGN, demanding that Nigeria intervenes to resolve the conflict between Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun and respect for the particular clause of the Green Tree Agreement which demands that both la Republique du Cameroun and Nigeria retain their boundaries at independence, To pursue the self-determination quest of the Southern Cameroons to its logical conclusion as mandated by the FHC 2002 judgment.

“Cause the Government of Nigeria to take action and urgently initiate proceedings before the ICJ and other international jurisdictions citing la République du Cameroun to be sanctioned for fraudulent misrepresentation during the Bakassi Peninsula case in the ICJ.

“Cause the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to take its rightful place as “big brother” in African politics and cause the African Union or the United Nations to intervene in the matter between the Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun or to proceed as mediator and resolve the ongoing conflict and restore peace and stability in the Gulf of Guinea region.”

Recall that at the last hearing of the matter before the House Committee on Public Petitions, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Manu, had claimed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no record of this petition.

He, however, said their findings revealed the matter was handled by the government as a security and legal matter.

on his part, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Hon Mike Etaba, had adjourned the heating to April 16, 2024, for proper service and hearing.