Former House of Representatives member, Hon Abdul Oroh, has once again reiterated the urgent call on President Bola Tinubu’s government to employ diplomatic and political measures to ensure the prompt release of detained Nigerian professors and professionals in Cameroon.
“We urge the government to take immediate action to secure the release of our clients, who have been languishing in Cameroonian prisons for over five years despite being law-abiding citizens who have committed no crime,” said Oroh.
Another lawyer, Joseph Fru, emphasized, “Our clients were abducted, not arrested, and held arbitrarily without any legal course or due process. We stress the need for transparency and accountability in this matter.”
Nigerian Government’s Role
Oroh, a lawyer at FRULAW Chambers, addressed journalists in Abuja, expressing deep concern and frustration over the absence of key representatives from both Nigeria and Cameroon at a recent House Committee meeting.
“We are disappointed that the relevant officials failed to appear before the House Committee to explain their role in this saga,” Oroh said.
The lawyers urged the government to take immediate action to implement UNHRC-WGAD’s Communication 59/2022, which categorically calls for the release of the detainees, and to respect the Federal High Court’s judgments in 2019, ordering their release and compensation.
Oroh highlighted President Tinubu’s well-known background as a human rights advocate and his personal experience as a former exile and refugee, hoping that this would inform his decision to intervene and secure the release of the detainees.
“We believe that President Tinubu, with his experience as a human rights advocate and former refugee, will understand the plight of our clients and take necessary steps to secure their release,”
Oroh said. Fru stressed the need for transparency and accountability in the matter, emphasizing that the officials involved must present their side of the story and take responsibility for their actions.
Jerrymusa.com reports that the lawyers’ pleas come as the detainees continue to languish in appalling conditions, their fate hanging in the balance.