Security forces have arrested leaders of Ambazonia separatist movement, a Cameroonian group seeking independence from the Francophone country.

French is the official language in the country but English is spoken in two regions.

It is not clear those who are behind the arrest which happened when the group was having a meeting at Nera Hotel in Abuja, on Friday.

Sani Usman, spokesman of the Nigerian army, did not respond to TheCable’s inquiries on whether the military is in the know.

Usman neither answered his calls nor replied a text message sent to his telephone line on Sunday afternoon.

Those picked up were Julius Tabe, Nfor Nfor, Fidelis Che, Henry Kimeng, Awasum, Cornelius Kwanga, Tassang Wilfred, Eyambe Elias, Ojong Okongho and Nalowa Bih.

The Anglophone part of the country has been accusing the government of President Paul Biya, who has been in power for 35 years, of indiscrimination.

Dozens of them have been killed, with many arrested in anti-government protests.

In a statement sent to TheCable, Chris Anu, spokesman of the Ambazonia separatist movement, called for the immediate release of those arrested in Abuja.

He said Southern Cameroonians would continue to assert their right to self-determination.

“The interim government of the Southern Cameroons condemns and calls for the immediate release of President Julius Ayuk Tabe,” the statement read

“The Federal Government of Nigeria has been notified of the incident and it is currently investigating the situation.

“This criminal abduction happened during a meeting being chaired by H.E. Sisiku Ayuk Tabe. The President and his team were in a high command meeting in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria at the time the Cameroun Gunmen showed up at the Hotel.

“The meeting started at around 5pm, Nigerian time. At around 7:30PM, the gunmen came into the Hotel and abducted all of them including the president.”

Anu said the meeting was about the welfare of those who fled to Nigeria as a result of the clampdown in Cameroon.

“The meeting was scheduled to discuss the Southern Cameroons Refugee crisis in Nigeria and to galvanise relief support for housing, medical and feeding in anticipation of the approaching rainy season,” he said.

“We call on Nigerian authorities to address this issue immediately and ensure that the Cameroun government does not do any harm to them. We also call on the Nigerian authorities to investigate this threat against its sovereignty by La Republique du Cameroun.

“We call on the Nigerian government to guarantee the security of the more than 20,000 Southern Cameroonian refugees in various camps in Nigeria.”

Source:
https://www.thecable.ng/cameroon

A government that has failed to uphold it's constitutional responsible of securing the lives of her citizen can not be trusted in safeguarding those of other nationalities within her boundaries.

If true, then it is a shame.

An assault on our Nigerian sovereignty.

These Cameroonians have balls.