Cameroon’s star judge now Barrister at Law Paul Ayah Abine has released a statement of his intention to defend Professor Maurice Kamto, Sisiku Julius AyukTabe and 37 others arrested in Nigeria and flown to Cameroon.
According to the statement published on Ayah’s social media handle, the memorandum of appearance is being made known to the Yaoundé military court.Barrister Ayah, the former supremecourt Advocate General,writes and attest that ” Be it made known to the Yaounde Military court and to all interested parties that Ayah Paul Abine, Barrister/Solicitor/natory public, shall enter appearance for defence in every proceeding/ process against and/ or relative to AyukTabe and others; to Maurice Kamto alone or with another or others ; and to the 37 (thirty seven) persons forcibly returned to Cameroun by the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; to defend/ or represent the accused as by law allowed”.”wherefore this memorandum of appearance has been issued under my hand at Buea, this Friday 1stFebruary, 2019″.
The publication of the decision from the man of law brings new impetus to the two cases which are among the most political in contemporary Cameroon.
Professor Maurice Kamto, leader of the opposition in Cameroon was arrested on Monday January 28 in Douala and ferried to Yaounde alongside other of his party executives of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) political party. This came after he led a protest against electoral hold up, the armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions and the misappropriation of public funds related to the abortive 2019 AFCON on January 26th.
Maurice Kamto alongside other members of his party were sent to Kondengui after spending hours at the Yaounde military tribunal on Tuesday February 12thwhere they were grilled by the State Prosecutor. They would be detained at the Kondengui prison while waiting for trial. At least seven charges were brought before the leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement some of which are rebellion, hostility against the Fatherland, insurrection, complicity in destruction.
Sisiku Julius AyukTabe leader of the separatists Ambazonia movement alongside a host of members of his cabinet formed under the guise of the virtual Federal Republic of Ambazoniaare also detained at the Kondengui prison.
In the early days of the anglophone crisis, Ayah Paul was arrested on 21 January 2017 and detained in Yaounde for more than 7 months. He was released after a presidential order.