A former member of the House of Representatives, Abdul Oroh, has called on the Federal Government to explore diplomatic means toward the release of some Nigerians being detained by the Cameroonian authorities.
Oroh, a civic rights lawyer, made the call at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday shortly after submitting a petition to the National Assembly on behalf of the detained Nigerians.
Oroh said that the detainees were arrested at 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 offenses concerning terrorism and secession.
“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 an equivalent of 533 million dollars, even the Cameroonian state cannot afford that kind of money not to talk of an individual.”
FG urged to seek release of Nigerians detained in Cameroon
