The legal team of the Nigerian professors jailed in Cameroon have said the absence or non-appearance of key officials in the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Cameroonian High Commissioner, the UNHCR coordinator, the attorney-general of the federation (AGF), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the House of Representatives hearing has delayed justice for the detainees.
In a statement signed by Joseph Awah Fru, the legal team lamented that the continued absence of these officials at the House Committee on Public Petitions hearing was prolonging the detention of the professors who had sustained the academic pyramid in Nigeria for the last 30 years.
The Cameroonian refugee professors and other professionals were arrested at Nera Hotel in Abuja on January 5, 2018, by security agents and later repatriated to Cameroon, tried by a military tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Kondengui Maximum Security Detention facility.
The Nigerian asylum seekers, in their petition, pleaded with the House to, among others, cause the Nigerian Government to take action and implement the rulings in the three judgements of the Federal High Court of Abuja in 2019, ordering their release and compensation of these petitioners.
Therefore, Fru called for justice and asked Nigerians, through their elected representatives, to support the prayers outlined in the petition before the House Committee on Public Petitions to save the professors and other abducted and arbitrarily detained refugees in Cameroon.
He said Nigeria is where those professors envisaged and worked for all their productive years, and it is the same Nigeria that must stand up for them with the resolutions that are expected from the House Committee on Public Petitions.
“These Petitioners have faith in Nigeria and her institutions. This faith brought them to Nigeria as students and retained them as professors and professionals in Nigeria. This same faith gives us encouragement and hope in the deliberations and Resolutions of this House Committee. This faith, hope, and encouragement are the strengths of this Petition by these professors and professionals.
“It is the same strength that reinforces the Judgments of three separate Judges of the Federal High Court in Abuja in 2019 and Opinion 059/2022 of the UN HRC WGAD of October 2022 asking that these Professors be released by Nigeria because they were illegally abducted, arbitrarily detained and unconstitutionally deprived of their fundamental human rights in very unconscionable circumstances.
“It is with this faith and strength that these Professors, Professionals and all other illegally abducted and arbitrarily held refugees in Cameroon are asking the people of Nigeria, through their duly elected Representatives, to grant the prayers outlined in their petition now before the House Committee on Public Petitions of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Fru noted.
He emphasised that the presence of the absent officials is critical to ensuring transparency and allowing them to present their side of the story.
The lawyer said the Public Petitions Committee chairman had pledged to explore further legal actions, including contacting the Solicitor General, to address these delays.
“The Federal High Court of Abuja, in its judgment No FHC/ABJ/CS/85/2018 dated March 1, 2019, and the UN Human Rights Committee’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) in its Communication 59/2022 on October 14, 2022, have both called for the release and compensation of the detainees. Despite these rulings, the professors remain in custody.
“Petitioners have urged Nigeria to take legal action before international forums, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to hold Cameroon accountable for their actions. They also call for Nigeria to use its regional influence to mediate the Southern Cameroons conflict, aiming to restore peace and stability to the Gulf of Guinea region.
“The detained professors, who have significantly contributed to Nigeria’s academic and professional landscape, include Sisiku Julius Ayuke Tabe, Shufai Blaise Sevidzem Berinyuy, Prof Awasum Augustine Cheh, Dr Henry Tata Kimeng, Barr Eyambe E Elias EBAI, Dr Cornelius Kwanga Njikimbi, Dr Fidelis Ndeh Nche, Dr Egbengu Ogork K, Mr Nfor Ngala Nfor, Mr Tassang Wilfred Forbang.
“Their work has profoundly impacted education, the workforce, and the economy in Nigeria. These detainees maintain their faith in Nigeria’s institutions and hope for their release. The judgments from the Federal High Court and the UN HRC WGAD support their plea. The Nigerian government is urged to act under these rulings and uphold their fundamental human rights,” the statement added.