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| Fru Ndi, SDF National Chairman |
Cameroon
Headlines, Buea, June 29 – Hon. Ayah Paul Abine, Secretary General of the People’s
Action Party has revealed that security forces are investigation to establish
whether or not he and John Fru Ndi, National Chairman of the Social Democratic
Front (SDF) are funding the secessionist movement, the Southern Cameroon’s
National Congress, the SCNC.
After
a visit to the Buea Central Prison, June 27, to see an SCNC activist, Maxwell
Oben, Hon. Ayah revealed that “…
the military are busy twisting Oben’s arm to find out whether Ayah Paul and Fru
Ndi are funding the SCNC.”
The
investigations are probably due to the fact that the two opposition leaders
have made statements in the past that insinuate that they are sympathising with
the course of the SCNC.
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| Hon. Ayah, PAP Secretary General |
Hon.
Ayah insists that “there never has been any reunification, and so nothing can
be more facetious and farcical than talking about secession when there never
has been a whole.”
“We are just back from Buea Central
Prison. Mola Njoh Litumbe, accompanied by Ayah Paul Abine, Mami Mbiwan, a
barrister, a man of God and a host of local SCNC leaders, went there for a
visit of solidarity to a detained SCNC leader, Oben Maxwell,” Ayah writes.
“During
today’s visit, SCNC had lengthy exchanges with Oben Maxwell and resolved on the
spot to take his case to national and international human rights bodies. In
all, there were over a dozen SCNC members at the prison but only half were
allowed to meet Oben. We were all stunned by Oben’s bustling health, and
particularly his high-spiritedness,” he adds.
The
genesis
Maxwell
Oben was reportedly arrested on January 29, 2014 for reading Ernesto Che Guevara’s book on Urban
Guerrilla and for educating the youth on the ideals of SCNC. He was arrested at
the Buea Mile 17 Bus Station.
Oben
was charged for preaching secession, civil war, armed insurrection, and
planning to disrupt President Biya’s visit to Buea.
“Without
allowing Oben to say whatever in his defence, the officer (at the Military
Tribunal) ruled that Oben would be in prison custody for a year, renewable. It
would be noted that all along Oben was without legal counsel. His family and
SCNC now briefed counsel who lodged an appeal against the order of the Buea
Military Tribunal. The Court of Appeal has since ordered the military tribunal
to forward to the court the records of proceedings all in vain. Rather the
tribunal in manner most preposterous has now started hearing a case against
Oben… While the case before the Buea Court of Appeal is stalled, the one before
the military tribunal is equally stalled on the flimsy ground that the Yaounde
military tribunal should make available its records of proceedings to the
tribunal in Buea. And of course no such records there are,” Ayah narrates.
