Until February 9, he will remain in pre-trial detention according to a decision by the Norwegian justice system.
Just over a week left to serve in pre-trial detention for Ayaba Cho Lucas, a separatist leader arrested and prosecuted by the Norwegian justice system in connection with atrocities committed in the crisis-stricken North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon. A judicial decision made last December extended his detention by eight weeks, running until February 9, 2026. To justify this decision, the judge cited the risk that his release could lead to the falsification of evidence and influence witnesses, which would also have a negative impact on the ongoing legal proceedings.
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Furthermore, the Norwegian justice system has feared since December 2025 that the accused might flee. However, the American lawyer of Cameroonian origin, Me Emmanuel Nsahlai, confided to our colleagues at STBBC that Cho Ayaba Lucas could be indicted by Saturday, January 31, 2026. Subsequently, he could be tried for “complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and/or acts of terrorism”.
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Arrested on September 24, 2024, by the Norwegian criminal police at his residence in Oslo, Cho Ayaba Lucas, former leader of the Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF), is being prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is suspected of having directed operations from abroad that led to the mass killings of populations in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, which have been experiencing a security crisis since 2016. On September 25, 2024, the day after his arrest, he appeared for the first time before the Oslo court before being placed in pre-trial detention.
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