Mr. Abdul Oroh, a former lawmaker at the House of Representatives, has urged the National Assembly to intervene and ensure the release of some Nigerian professionals being detained by the Cameroonian authorities.
Oroh, also a civic rights lawyer, said this at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, shortly after submitting a petition to the National Assembly on their behalf.
He also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to explore diplomatic means for their release.
Oroh said that the detainees were arrested at the Nera Hotel in Abuja on Jan. 5, 2018, by security agents and later repatriated to Cameroon.
He said that they were tried by a military tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment for offences involving terrorism and sedition.
“We are appealing to our parliament to intervene to ensure the 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.
“You know, you cannot negotiate with somebody who is not free. And let me inform you that one of the detainees is a former deputy registrar of ABU; he is 65 years old,” he said.
Oroh added: “According to 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 the equivalent of 533 million dollars; even the Cameroonian state cannot afford that kind of money, not to mention an individual, he said. (NAN)
