Norwegian police arrest Cameroonian separatist leader for Norway

Dem don arrest Cameroonian separatist leader for Norway for im alleged role in di ongoing armed conflict for di Central African kontri.

Police arrest Lucas Ayaba Cho on Tuesday on “charges base on various expressions on social media”, im lawyer tell di BBC.

Cho na influential figure for di Anglophone movement wey dey push for independence from Cameroon, wia ova 6,000 pipo don die and nearly one million odas don dey displaced since di fighting begin for 2016.

Some pipo in di kontri English-speaking provinces tok say di French-speaking majority dey discriminate against dem di.

Human rights group Amnesty International don accuse both goment troops and di armed separatists of killings, rapes and torture of civilians.

Cameroonian official tell di BBC say Norway and Cameroon get security agreement, wey dem fit extradite Cho in di coming days.

Who be Lucas Ayaba Cho?

Cho, wey describe imsef as liberation leader, na one of di most prominent separatist leaders shaping di conflict in Cameroon restive Anglophone regions.

Di 52-year-old wey dey head di Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC), one political wing of di Ambazonian Defence Forces (ADF), one of several armed groups seeking independence from Cameroon.

Im command di movement from im base in Norway, wia im order two-week lockdown as part of di separatists campaign to boycott schools.

Pipo sabi Cho for im tough-talking and hard-line approach, and e dey under criticism afta ADF fighters recently target taxi drivers in di North-West region, ordering dem to change di colour of dia vehicles from yellow to white and blue – di colours of di flag of di planned break-away state of Ambazonia. Some of di pipo wey refuse, dem burn dia vehicles.

Cho Ambazonia Governing Council don impose “liberation tax” wey don force pipo wey dey live in di restive Anglophone regions to pay certain amount of money to fund di conflict against di goment.

In January 2017, e tok say im survive assassination attempt afta e follow anoda separatist leaders tok for Belgium.

Im anti-institutional radicalism no start wit di outbreak of di Anglophone crisis in 2016. Na trait wey don dey happun as far back as di 1990s wen dem reportedly expel dem from di University of Buea for taking part in demonstrations ova increment in tuition fees.

Norway National Criminal Investigation Service (KRIPOS) say Cho “ get hand in di ongoing armed conflict for Cameroon”.

On Wednesday, di Norwegian investigators ask for im custody from di Oslo District Court.

“We dey in di early phase of di investigation, and we get several investigative steps wey remain,” Norwich prosecutor Anette Berger tok.

If convicted in Cameroon, dem fit sentence Cho to 30 years in prison.

Emmanuel Nsahlai, US-based lawyer representing some victim of dii Anglophone crisis in Cameroon, tok say Cho arrest na “significant victory” against separatist violence in Cameroon.

“Dis arrest mark critical step in holding am accountable for im actions and bringing justice to di victims for im violence,” Nsahlai tok.

Cho no be di first separatist leader wey dem go arrest abroad in connection wit di violence in Cameroon.

Since di outbreak of di conflict, di Cameroonian goment don beg foreign kontris hosting separatist leaders to facilitate dia repatriation back home for trial ova dia role in di ongoing violence.

In 2018 dem arres Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, di leader of di Anglophone separatist movement, and 46 odas for Nigeria and later extradite dem to Cameroon.