In a press conference held in Abuja, lawyers representing the detained Nigerian professors in Cameroon expressed their deep concern and frustration over the prolonged detention of their clients, despite multiple court rulings ordering their release.
The lawyers, Joseph Fru and Oroh of FRULAW Chambers, passionately appealed to the Federal Government to intervene and secure the release of their clients, who have been languishing in Cameroonian prisons for over five years.
The professors, who are asylum seekers in Nigeria, were arrested on January 5, 2018, at Nera Hotel in Abuja by security agents and subsequently repatriated to Cameroon, where they were tried by a military tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Kondengui Maximum Security detention facility.
The lawyers argued that their clients’ detention was arbitrary and illegal, and that they were not criminals but law-abiding citizens who had sought refuge in Nigeria. They emphasized that the detention violates their human rights and international law.
The lawyers lamented the absence of key representatives from Nigeria and Cameroon at a recent meeting of the House Committee on Public Petitions, which has stalled the fate of the professors and others jailed in Cameroon. They expressed disappointment that the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Cameroonian High Commissioner, the UNHCR Coordinator, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs failed to appear before the committee.
Oroh expressed hope that President Bola Tinubu, a former human rights activist, would intervene and secure their clients’ release. “We believe that President Tinubu, who has a reputation for fighting tyranny and promoting human rights, will use his good offices to secure the release of our clients,” Oroh said.
Fru emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in the matter, stressing that the detainees were abducted and not arrested, and that their continued detention was a violation of their human rights. “We want the government to take responsibility for their actions and release our clients immediately,” Fru said.
The lawyers’ appeal comes as the House Committee on Public Petitions continues to investigate the matter. The committee has been petitioned by the detainees to intervene and secure their release.
