SCNC leader clocks eight months in detention without trial

The Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, coordinator for Yaounde, Oben Maxwell, has clocked eight months in detention in the Buea central prison without any indication yet that his trial would begin any time soon.

Arrested since February 2, 2014, Oben’s trial at the Buea military tribunal has suffered several adjournments. Oben, it should be recalled, is facing a three count charge.

On Count one, Oben is charged with conspiracy to spark a civil war. Counts two and three are charging Oben of secessionist activities and instigating people to carry acts against the government respectively.

Oben had however appeared before the examining magistrate of the Buea military tribunal on March 23, 2014 who without even listening to Oben sentenced him to a one year detention renewable.

It should be recalled that Oben was picked up at gun point in Buea that ill-fated February 2, 2014 at the Musango Travel Agency just minutes before his trip to Yaounde.

Straight, he was taken to the Buea judicial police, had his phone confiscated before thrown behind a dark cell where he spent six days in the company of hardened criminals.

Oben was on February 7 tossed to the South West attorney general who in turn referred him to the state counsel. On February 26, he was bundled to the military tribunal in Yaounde. Later, he was whisked off to the dreaded Kondengui maximum security prison to await trial.

Family members have told this newspaper that going by Oben’s account; he was turned into a punching bag by Kondengui prison guards who accused him of being behind a plot to spark a civil war in Cameroon.

Oben is quoted as narrating that a military officer at the Yaounde military tribunal just reading through the charges against him (Oben) almost dislocated his jaw bones.

Even though, Oben was ferried to Yaounde to answer the charges against him in the military tribunal, a magistrate assigned to hear the matter played Pontius Pilate; arguing that Yaounde had nothing to do with the matter.

He was thus moved back to the Buea central prison on March 20 where he is presently awaiting trial. Even though reportedly sick because of the poor hygienic conditions under which he is detained, family members say Oben has been denied access to medical attention.

According to the Cameroon penal code, Count one of the charges could fetch Oben between ten years and a life jail while Counts two and three could land the SCNC Yaounde coordinator between twenty years and a life jail.