Six Nigerian university lecturers, including some refugees and asylum seekers, are currently detained in Cameroon following their alleged illegal deportation.
They have urgently appealed to the National Assembly for intervention to secure their immediate and unconditional release.
The professors reached out to the House of Representatives, seeking assistance in freeing them from detention in Cameroon, where they have been held since January 2018 after their alleged unlawful deportation.
In their petition to the House, the lecturers asserted that their deportation was conducted illegally.
They claimed they were forcibly taken from Nigeria on January 5, 2018, and transported to Cameroon on unfounded accusations of conspiring to destabilize the government of La Republique du Cameroon, led by President Paul Biya.
Through their legal representatives, the lecturers submitted their petition to the House Committee on Public Petitions.
They alleged that they were unjustly tried and imprisoned in Cameroon despite favorable judgments in their favor from Nigerian courts.
Despite these Nigerian court rulings declaring their arrest and deportation unlawful, the lecturers claimed they have not been released or compensated in accordance with the court decisions.
The petition was presented on behalf of the lecturers by Prof. Carlson Anyangwe, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, Fru Awah, Abdul Oroh, and Mbinkar Singeh.
They appealed to the House to urge the Nigerian government to take immediate action to enforce Communication 59/2022 dated October 14, 2022, issued by the UN-HRC-WGAD. This communication calls for the release of the petitioners from detention.
They also implored the House to “Prompt the Government of Nigeria to implement the rulings in the three judgments of the Federal High Court of Abuja in 2019, which ordered the release and compensation of these petitioners.
“Urge Nigeria to leverage the Abuja 2002 ruling in the case of Kelvin Ngumne et al Vs the FGN, to address the conflict between Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun. This includes upholding the Green Tree Agreement’s clause stipulating that both parties retain their boundaries at independence and supporting the self-determination aspirations of Southern Cameroons as mandated by the FHC 2002 judgment.
“Encourage the Government of Nigeria to urgently initiate proceedings before the ICJ and other international jurisdictions, alleging fraudulent misrepresentation by la République du Cameroun during the Bakassi Peninsula case in the ICJ.
“Implore the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to assume its rightful place as a big brother in African politics and prompt the African Union or the United Nations to intervene or mediate in the matter between the Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun, aiming to resolve the ongoing conflict and restore peace and stability in the Gulf of Guinea region.”
