A former lawmaker at the House of Representatives, Mr. Abdul Oroh, has revealed that one of the Nigerians currently in detention in Cameroon is a former deputy registrar at ABU. He said the man is 65 years old.
Oroh, a civic rights lawyer, says, “According to the Cameroonian laws, you cannot sentence a man who is 65 years old to life imprisonment.
“So, what did they do? They asked him to pay a fine of an equivalent of $533 million. Even the Cameroonian state cannot afford that kind of money not to talk of an individual,“ he said.
He urged the National Assembly to intervene and ensure the release of the former registrar and other Nigerian professionals being detained by the Cameroonian authorities.
Oroh spoke at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday shortly after submitting a petition to the National Assembly on behalf of the detainees.
He also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to explore diplomatic means toward their release.
Oroh said the detainees were arrested at Nera Hotel in Abuja on January 5, 2018, by security agents and were later repatriated to Cameroon.
He said they were tried by a military tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment for offences bordering on terrorism and secession.
“We are appealing to our parliament to intervene to ensure release of these people.
“Maybe they can go into a conversation to negotiate peace because these people are interested in peace. So that they can return home and their people can have peace.” (NAN)
