By Eric Tataw – Saturday March 2, 2019.

Barrister Femi Falana, a prominent Nigerian Lawyer who headed the case of ten (10) Anglophone Pro-Independence leaders against the Nigerian Government has given the governments of Cameroon and Nigeria two straight facts regarding the respect of a milestone verdict from the Federal High Court of Abuja.

The Federal High Court of Abuja in Nigeria on Friday, March 1, 2019, handed down a decisive judgment in a matter pitting the Nigerian Government and the tensome, National Telegraph gathered.

In the meantime, there have been serious concerns over whether or not the Paul Biya Regime would respect the decision. There are also concerns as to whether the Muhammadu Buhari Administration would force the Cameroon Government to respect its court’s ruling shouldCameroon try to resist.

Under this backdrop, Barrister Femi Falana has opined that the judgment would be submitted by the Defense Counsel of another set of lawyers defending the tensome from the government of Cameroon to the Yaoundé Military Tribunal where they’re currently facing terrorism-related charges.

Barrister Femi Falana went on that if the tribunal decides to ignore the judgment, it would constitute a valid legal and political justification to withdraw from the proceedings. At that stage, Falana went on, the Paul Biya regime can be reported to all relevant international Human R ights organizations and diplomatic bodies for conducting an illegal trial of the leaders of Southern Cameroons.

As for Nigeria, Barrister Femi Falana said steps will be taken to enforce the judgment. We shall garnish the accounts of the government for payment of damages and mount legal and political pressure on the Buhari Regime to request Cameroon to bring back the refugees and asylum seekers, Falana said.

According to Barrister Femi Falana, all International Organizations would be served with the Judgment. The United Nations (UN), United Nations High Commission for Refugees, (UNHCR), the African Union (AU), The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), amongst others will be officially presented with the judgment, he added.

Just recently, precisely; early Saturday, March 2, 2019, a top-ranking official and close aide to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, who’s also Minister of Justice told National Telegraph that the verdict of the Federal High Court Abuja would be implemented to the latter.

Our source who prefers to remain unnamed said Nigeria is a State of Law, adding his boss the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, who’s also Minister of Justice is a man with a strict sense of the Law.

Sisiku Ayuk Tabe Julius and eleven others were arrested in Nera, a hotel in Abuja, Nigeria on Friday, January 5, 2018. Ten of them would later be extradited to Yaoundé, Cameroon, an act that has been described as a bootleg.

They’re being accused of fueling an armed conflict that has broken out in the two English-speaking regions. They’ve all denounced their Cameroonian Nationality, insisting that they’re of Southern Cameroons aka Ambazonia, a self-proclaimed new nation.

This case, National Telegraph learned was brought under the Fundamental Rights Enforcement (Procedure) Rule of 2009 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the violation of the fundamental rights of Sisiku et alia, their rights to movement, family, amongst others, which later triggered the ruling that has been highly applauded as a true show of a strong African Legal System.

The court has now ruled that the abduction at Nera Hotel was illegal and in violation of the Nigerian Law, the violation of African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, consequently, the court has ordered they be paid five million Naira (₦5.000.000) each and that the Nigerian Government should be restrained from further violating their rights.

The court also cited that the Nigerian Constitution and the United Nations Convention of the Status of Refugees in 1951 in its article 32 and 33 were violated and consequently all ten Anglophone Pro-Independence leaders must be sent back to Nigeria from Cameroon.

The court again ordered that forty-seven (47) others arrested from Gembu in Taraba state and deported to Cameroon should be returned to Nigeria and be compensated with the sum of two hundred thousand Naira (₦200.000) each.