Southern Cameroonians seek release of arrested leaders

Southern Cameroonians have appealed to the Nigerian government to release their leaders arrested on January 5, 2018 by security operatives in Abuja.

Briefing newsmen yesterday in Abuja, Southern Cameroonians Communication Secretary, Mr Chris Anu, said the arrest was a ‘reckless violation’ of international human rights, as they have not been accused of committing any crime in Nigeria.

Since their arrest, he said the movement leaders have been held incommunicado and were denied access to their lawyers and families.

He said the 12 leaders were arrested, while holding a meeting on the situation of about 40,000 Southern Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria, who he said were still trooping into the country.

“We are appealing to the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to let our leaders go. They did not commit crime and have not been accused of any,” he said.

According to him, majority of those arrested were not just ordinary citizens, they are intellectuals, professors and lawyers, some of whom, he said, have dual citizenship of Nigeria and Cameroon.

Anu also denied the claims that the arrested leaders are secessionists.

“Our leaders arrested on January 5, are not Cameroonians. They are Southern Cameroonians,” he said, noting that “Southern Cameroons have never been part of French-speaking Cameroon.”