By Chris Mbunwe
(Culled from The Post newspaper, March 2, 2007)
"It is our humble submission that the State of Southern Cameroons, the independence of which the accused persons are arguing has never in law nor historically been an integral and inseparable part of he Republic of Cameroon." Bobga went further to explain to the court that the Republic of Cameroon gained independence on January 1, 1960, while the State of Southern Cameroons gained her independence on October 1, 1961.
According to Bobga, the experiment to create a two-state Federation of the States of "The Republic of Cameroon" and that of "Southern Cameroons" has been a legal constitutional and historical failure giving rise to the peaceful struggle of Southern Cameroonians seeking a restoration of their independent state "now under the Republic of Cameroon illegal occupation, not withstanding the dubious Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary judgment of the International Court of Justice and the comic Green Tree agreement idea of the three neo-colonial agents and conspirators Mr. Paul Biya of La République du Cameroun, Obasanjo of Nigeria and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan," Bobga declared.
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Defence Counsel for Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, leaders incarcerated in Bamenda Prison since January 20, have chastised gendarmes involved in the matter as Prosecuting Witnesses, PW, for obstructing justice by tactfully staying away from the Bamenda High Court.
Briefing The Post on Tuesday, February 27, shortly after the Preliminary Investigations, PI, were adjourned to March 6, one of the Counsel, Harmony Bobga, said Justice Julius Ncho rejected their application for the dismissal of the holdings charge in the suit that some two gendarmes who are PWs in the matter had not come to court.
"We prayed the court to dismiss the suit stating that this matter has come up thrice for hearing and not even one of those gendarmes (prosecution witnesses) has honoured this court with their presence," Bobga.On the second ground, Bobga and Chumbom argued that the holding charge is based on manifestly untrue facts.
The holding charge stipulates that the accused persons "did infringe on the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cameroon, this is, by holding illegal secessionist meetings under the banner of Southern Cameroons National Council SCNC.
"It is our humble submission that the State of Southern Cameroons, the independence of which the accused persons are arguing has never in law nor historically been an integral and inseparable part of he Republic of Cameroon."Bobga went further to explain to the court that the Republic of Cameroon gained independence on January 1, 1960, while the State of Southern Cameroons gained her independence on October 1, 1961.
According to Bobga, the experiment to create a two-state Federation of the States of "The Republic of Cameroon" and that of "Southern Cameroons" has been a legal constitutional and historical failure giving rise to the peaceful struggle of Southern Cameroonians seeking a restoration of their independent state "now under the Republic of Cameroon illegal occupation, not withstanding the dubious Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary judgment of the International Court of Justice and the comic Green Tree agreement idea of the three neo-colonial agents and conspirators Mr. Paul Biya of La République du Cameroun, Obasanjo of Nigeria and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan," Bobga declared.
He argued that the territorial integrity of La République du Cameroun arises exclusively from its boundary on the date it had independence - January 1, 1960."This territorial sphere has always been maintained in the OAU arrangements,' Bobga argued.
But all these explanations seem not to mean anything to Justice Ncho, who ordered that the 13 SCNC leaders, Nfor Ngala Nfor and others be remanded back in custody.In court, the activists looked frail because they had resumed their hunger strike thinking it would attract attention for bail in vain.
UNPO Request Release Of SCNC Leaders
In a related matter, members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisations, UNPO, in a recent letter to President Paul Biya requested him to "secure the immediate and unconditional release of Nfor Nfor as well as SCNC leaders and activists presently in Detention."
The letter advises President Biya to cease immediately in unlawful persecution of the people of Southern Cameroons and for Biya to respect his obligations under internationally recognised human rights standards to provide for freedom of speech, freedom of association, as well as his duty to protect those promoting the cause of human rights."
