Politics

Chief Justice Ayah Paul Abine, Advocate General at the Supreme Court and National President of People Action Party, PAP has told President at Mfoundi High Court that he was illegally arrested and detained in violation of the law of Cameroon.

He made the statements Thursday March 16, 2017 in Yaoundé in front of Joseph Marie Nkeh President at the Mfoundi High Court while in a closed door court session in what was his first appearance before a Judge since his arrest last January.

Ayah Paul Abine began with the first illegality by quoting Section 119 (4) of the Penal Code which forbids the arrest of persons on the weekend. AYAH, it should be noted, was bundled out of his Tam-Tam residence by heavily armed men on Saturday January 21, 2017.

Secondly, the Lord Justice cited Section 629 of the Criminal Procedure Code that clearly spells out the judicial procedures for a judge of his caliber to be arrested; prominent amongst which is the fact that three judges equal to or superior in rank to Justice AYAH were competent enough to form a panel to ONLY interrogate and not effect an arrest. 

More so, for such a panel to be constituted, the order had to come through the Head of his department, in this case, the Attorney General of the Supreme Court. All of these procedures were flouted.

The President of the PAP appeared in close session earlier at 11:00 AM before the Mfoundi High Court in the absence of the Commissioner who had to represent the state of Cameroon.

Regular Judicial proceedings warrant that AYAH’s lawyers should have been served with all documents pertaining to the case but that was not the case. It was at the court that the lawyers were told that Ayah Paul Abine was arrested and charged with terrorism, propagation of false information, rebellion to the embarrassment of his Lawyers who said they are only getting the charges at the moment.

Reports have it that Chief Justice AYAH’s judicial ‘homily’ got the President of the Mfoundi High Court nodding in the affirmative all through.

It is also alleged that Justice Ayah Paul used the occasion to tell those present that he had strong feelings that Laurent Esso (Minister of Justice), Rene Emmanuel SADI (Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization), Jacque Fame NDONGO (Minister of Higher Education), Issa TCHIROMA BAKARY (Minister of Communication) in complicity with top notch Anglophones were behind the embarrassment of the state and massive arrests ongoing in the English speaking regions of the country.

Barrister Ndong Christopher has hinted that an appeal against the charges will be dropped in the office of the President of Mfoundi High Court following the irregularities in his arrest, they want his freedom soonest.

However the case has been adjourned to to March 21, 2017.

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Rita Akana

17.Mar.2017

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When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty in the words of Thomas Jefferson echoed at the la republic parliament by Hon. Joseph Wirba in the December 2016 session. Those of us who have been expecting that the people purportedly elected by us to represent our views before government and translate exactly how we feel at any given moment, may well be on course to talking for someone else, if we were to go by the opening addresses presented in both houses by the eldest Members who all happen to be nonagenarians from Southern Cameroons.

The two old folks contented themselves with speeches carefully prepared for them by the authoritarian government in Yaounde that is determined to threaten and blackmail everyone to submission. The address presented by Senator Nfon V. E Mukete stood in sham contrast to his previously held positions. In his capacity as President of the South West Chiefs' Conference, Nfon Mukete endorsed a strongly worded memorandum addressed to the Head of State by the five Bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, dissecting the Anglophone Problem, decrying our marginalization and proposing a two-state federal system of government as solution. Threats on the lives and businesses of his children and himself have, from all indications weighed down on his ability to reiterate what he stands for. Although MPs of the CPDM Party in the North West and South West regions did hold a meeting with representatives of Common Law Lawyers in Yaounde and came out with some strong resolutions, they soon appeared to regret holding that meeting, judging from their actions in the aftermath of the meeting.

Most of the MPs rather resorted to doing the contrary of their earlier spirit and began only speaking to back the government. Those of the opposition SDF have received a marked degree of praise for remaining steadfast by those involved in the struggle. They marched in the streets of Bamenda and Buea to show condemnation and solid., with the poor treatment of students of the University of Buea who were attacked on Campus and at their hostels, tortured, maimed, raped and detained in large numbers. At successive NEC meetings in Bamenda they also came out with strong resolutions berating the rampant kidnappings and extortions. These efforts not, withstanding, we are expecting them to all remake history like their peers in the late 1950s who left a truculent Nigerian Parliament at the time and moved en mass to Buea to exercise their rights of self determination.

The people you all claim to represent are watching you and taking down important notes that shall be written on the sands of time. The current threats on the life and freedom of SDF MP representing the Jakiri Special Constituency in the North West Region, Hon. Wirba Joseph just because he used the rostrum at the National Assembly last December 2016 to decry the dehumanizing treatment being meted out on Anglophones in Cameroon, forcing him to flee to safety is eloquent proof that no one, not even an elected official with immunity can expose the plight of the annexed people of Southern Cameroons and go free.

It is within that framework that the Consortium is calling on all It is within that framework that the consortium is calling on all the other 64 MPs/Senetors of Southern Cameroons extraction not to choose the wrong side of history by staying in Yaounde to do business as usual while their constituents are abducted, kidnapped, maimed and tortured by the day by forces of occupation, thrown in jail and heard summarily in Kangaroo courts on trumped up charges daily. It would be an aberration for these MPs/Senators to do business as usual while their territory is under military occupation with all what that entails, while their peoples are deprived of the internet for 57 days and counting, while their markets and other infrastructures are set ablaze daily by rogue regime with intention to force the already very improvised masses to submission.

If despite all these unacceptable and demeaning acts on their people, the MPs/Senators still go ahead to sit down in Yaounde and continue to share from the table of the oppressor, that should serve as undiluted evidence to national and international opinions that these so called legislators were never truly elected by their people, but hand-picked through a flawed electoral process to the regime’s dirty chores even against the interests of the same people they purport to speak for.We hold this view strongly because if the MPs/Senators believe thy owe their seats at the House of Assembly to the votes cast by their constituents, they would be the voices of these people and stand with them by refusing to take part in any deliberations until those captured and imprisoned in Yaounde are released, until the internet signals are returned to their regions and until the concerns being expressed by their people are addressed.

Bilingualism & Multiculturalism Commission

Yesterday, Wednesday the 15th of March, 2017 President Paul Biya appointed officials into his Bilingualism and Multiculturalism Commission by decree as usual. The Consortium had previously dismissed the creation of that Commission as cosmetic, and the naming of its officials has proven the point we made earlier. By designating former Premier, Peter Mafany Musonge, a well known xenophobe as Chairman, President Biya simply confirmed our position that the body was just another diversion from the burning issues of the day. Prior to the creation of this Commission, many have existed with the same status; the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms- NCHRF, the National Anti Corruption Commission- NACC, the National Communication Council- NCC, Elections Cameroon- ELECAM and many others with very mitigated results.

That is clear testimony to the effect that this so-called Commission on Bilingualism is a toothless bulldog only meant to divert attention from the real concerns of Southern Cameroonians/Ambzonians.We call on our people to totally disregard the putting in place of such a structure as a farce. We want to make it once-more abundantly clear that in no circumstance shall anyone hold any talks on behalf of Southern Cameroonian, Ambazonians in the absence of the leaders of the Consortium: both those incerated and the ones on the run, and in the presence of representatives of the United Nations, the United Kingdom and the African Union for the conclusions and resolutions to be mutually binding on all.

It is also of importance to mention here that the people of the Southern Cameroon/Ambazonia have triumphantly rejected the current political class winning and dinning with our oppressors in Yaounde, mainly because they have proven over the years that they represent nothing but their selfish interests. The Consortium seizes this opportunity to re-emphasize our option to pursue the total restoration of the statehood of Southern Carneroons/Ambazonia by all peaceful means possible.

We call on our people to remain steadfast and resist all forms of provocation from the forces of occupation parading our streets eager to spill blood. We once more remind them that we shall never relent in our efforts to secure their freedom and ensure a brighter future for our children.

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Rita Akana

17.Mar.2017

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Cameroon has assured the Secretary-General of the Common wealth that it is doing everything possible to address concerns about alleged human rights abuses against the country’s Anglophone community, which has sparked demonstrations.

Minister Delegate in the ministry of external relations in charge of Commonwealth Affairs, Chief Joseph Dion Ngute, said that his government remained in dialogue with the protestors to try to resolve their complaints.

At a meeting at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, Chief Ngute told Secretary-General Patricia Scotland that his government fully supported peace building in the Commonwealth.

The minister extended a personal invitation to the Secretary-General from the Cameroon president to visit his country. Secretary-General Scotland said she would visit at the earliest opportunity.

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Rita Akana

16.Mar.2017

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The recent appointment of former Prime Minister and Grand Chancellor of National Orders, 74 years old Peter Mafany Musonge as President of the newly created National Commission for Bilingualism and Multiculturalism has raised more questions than answers as to how this body is going to help in the resolution of the current Anglophone problem in Cameroon. Some critics have described this appointment as putting old wine into new wineskin.

It is exactly one and a half months that the South Elites Forum was held in Buea to discuss the current Anglophone crisis. It was in this Buea Mountain Hotel meeting that Peter Mafany Musonge, Nalova Lyonga of Buea University et al pointed accusing fingers to the North Westerners as main perpetrators of the crisis and called on South Westerners to take their destiny into their own hands.

Onlookers think that nothing good will come out of the commission with Peter Mafany Musonge at the helm.

They say he has been a long time Biya’s ally who has benefited greatly from the regime through flagrant manipulation and dishonesty.

Critics are also questioning the competence of the former prime minister to lead a national commission made up of Anglophones of the north and south west given the xenophobic comments that came out from his mouth in the February 02, 2017 meeting. Others say “out of the abundance of the heart, the mind speaks”.

Other members of the committe include:

Vice Chairman: Oumarou Djika Saïdou
Ama Tutu Muna
Anguoin née Ndanga Françoise
Djenabou Bakary
Mbappè née Tiki Ngonde Ndjo’o Agnès
Abbé Jean-Marie Bodo
Abouem à Tchoyi David
Ahmadou Mohamadou Baba
Efoua Mbozo’o Samuel
Halle Nicodemus Ndessi
Itoe Mutanga Benjamin

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Tawe Gije Nkfunji

15.Mar.2017

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The Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, PCC, Rev Babila Fochang says that the Church as a body is not playing games with future of children nor can tell lies in the face of crisis rocking the two English speaking regions.

The Reverend Gentleman in one of his daily meditation says the only means to be free is to worship and believe in God

Rev Fochang wrote:

The Anglophone churches in Cameroon have been under serious attack with some Anglophone members of government daring to say that the churches are playing Pontus Pilate! Some church leaders are under surveillance with threats of arrests while pastors are threatened to say that all is well.

Now that media houses have been threatened that they will be shut down if they mention anything concerning what is going on, the prophetic voices remains the only outlet of truth.

Today we are reminded of the threat on Jeremiah’s life because he prophesied the word of the Lord just as the Lord asked him to.

The message was that if the people fail to listen to God’s prophets and do what God wants, he was going to rain disaster upon the city. As it is, instead of heeding the prophet and turn to the Lord, it was the regular priests and prophets who led the people to sieze Jeremiah, saying, “You must die!…”

The officials of state then positioned themselves at the entrance of God’s house and it was prophets and priests who said, “This man must be sentenced to death because he had prophesied against this city…” Enemies in the house!

Jeremiah told them he had only spoken what he was asked to by the Lord. Like Jeremiah the true prophetic voice can only say, “…Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord your God… As for me, I am in your hands, do with me whatever you think is good and right.

Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city, and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing…” (26: 1-16). My people, history is proof that killing of prophets and human rights activists have never been the solution to suppress truth! Let us face issues and deal with them upfront! Arrests, torture, high handedness and threats to life won’t solve our problems!

Our solution is to turn to the Lord especially during this season of Lent! Don’t treat fellow humans as animals! You can’t expect university students to go to school and function smoothly without internet! Not in this generation! God forbid this inhuman treatment and violation of human rights! Fear God and allow good citizens to enjoy their just rights; and by so doing we would all escape the wrath of God!

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Rita Akana

15.Mar.2017

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Cameroon says it has killed at least 60 Boko Haram fighters and destroyed a stronghold for the militant group, as well as a huge stock of seized weapons, in fighting along its northern border.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Cameroon minister of communication and a government spokesperson, said, since January 26, thousands of Cameroon soldiers, supported by Nigerian troops, have launched raids on Boko Haram strongholds in the Mandara mountains, freeing more than 5,000 people, including women and children, from captivity. 

Issa Tchiroma said at least 60 terrorists have been killed since the offensive began in late January.

More than 20 suspects have been arrested and are helping the Cameroon and Nigerian militaries in their investigations, he added. He also said troops have destroyed a refuge center for the insurgents in the Mandara highlands, a petroleum depot and an explosives factory, as well as the residence of a Boko Haram leader, which also served as a hideout for the terrorists, and a huge consignment of weapons, vehicles and motorcycles.

Issa Tchiroma said at least 5,000 people were freed, including the elderly. They were transported to a camp for displaced people in the Nigerian town of Banki and are receiving treatment from both Cameroon and Nigerian military health workers, he said.

No soldiers were killed in the offensive, Issa Tchiroma said.

In December last year, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced troops had chased Boko Haram militants out of their key remaining base in the Sambisa forest, another former stronghold that straddles Cameroon’s border with Nigeria.

Cameroon and Nigeria that same month reopened the border between the two countries for the first time in three years.

Cameroon has since called for vigilance and collaboration between its military and the population, stating that the insurgents had resorted to large-scale suicide bombings as their firepower had been greatly reduced.

Boko Haram's six-year insurgency has killed more than 25,000 people and displaced nearly 2.3 million, according to rights groups and the United Nations.

VOA

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Rita Akana

15.Mar.2017

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