Why Tchiroma can’t be extradited to Cameroon.

His insistence that he won the election has emboldened supporters, while government officials portray him as a destabilising figure. Political analysts warn that this development could escalate tensions and plunge the Central African country into political turmoil"

That should explain why the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, at a press briefing in Yaounde on October 28, 2025, taking note of the waves of protest and the repression that resulted in deaths in numerous Cameroonian cities, notably Douala, Garoua, and Bafoussam, pointed an accusing finger at Tchiroma. 

Atanga Nji indicted Tchiroma, along with his "accomplices, of instigating the violent demonstrations" that led to the deaths of many young people”.

The minister also strongly condemned the self-proclamation of victory and the "calls for insurrection" made by Tchiroma stating that the acts would not go unpunished.

“The specialised services are also collecting false messages and videos disseminated on social networks against the established order so that their authors can be brought before the competent judicial authorities in due course, just like the candidate Issa Tchiroma and his cronies, who are responsible for an insurrectionary plan whose aim is to put the country in flames and bloodshed,” Atanga Nji had said. 

Aware of such an impending arrest, various media reports pointed out that he left his Garoua residence "on the night of October 28 to 29 and subsequently escorted across the border into Nigeria".

A post on his "Tchiroma 2025" Facebook account on October 31 read: "I thank the loyalist army, which has shown its patriotism by escorting me to a safe location and is currently ensuring my protection".

The same reports, which have not been contested by officials in Nigeria or Cameroon, later indicated that Cameroonian special security operatives had attempted to arrest him on November 2, allegedly with the assistance of some Nigerian security personnel.

"Cameroonian officials described Tchiroma as 'a dangerous criminal' and pressed for his return. However, Nigerian security agencies, upon confirming his identity, refused to surrender him," it was reported by some media organs. 

According to the Nigerian daily, "Although a reliable source had told Daily Trust on Wednesday, November 5, that he had since moved to Abuja, the newspaper was unable to confirm if he was still in Abuja as of Wednesday night. The Spokesman of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Sherrif Akinlabi, did not respond to an inquiry sent to his phone number concerning the whereabouts of the Cameroonian".

When the German media organ, Dutch Wells, asked Tchiroma's newly appointed Spokesperson, Alice Nkom, last week where her so-called president-elect is, her reply was equivocal: "Well, he's somewhere, and even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you. But I don't even want to ask him where he is".

Nonetheless, several sources presume Tchiroma is in Nigeria, where he is said to have strong ties with influential emirs, politicians and business moguls.

There have been unrefuted reports trending in the social media that Cameroon has made a request to extradite him to face the excruciating sword of justice awaiting him,

According to some government apologists: "Discussions between Yaounde and Abuja are now at an advanced stage. Former Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who has been taking refuge in the Nigerian city of Yola for several weeks, will not evade Cameroonian justice for much longer”.

"Everything indicates that Cameroon has officially requested his extradition from the Nigerian authorities, and Nigeria has no reason to oppose it,", one of the commentators wrote on the social media last week. 

According to some Nigerian international legal experts, there is no extradition treaty between Cameroon and Nigeria.

However, some separatist leaders were deported from Nigeria to Cameroon outside the scope of an extradition treaty.

In the words of the lawyers interviewed by Daily Trust, “The first thing we must note is that the crimes or alleged offence must be extraditable, but not every crime or offence is extraditable in Nigeria Political offences are not extraditable...like treason, sedition and offences against the government of that state.”

They noted that Nigeria erred in deporting the separatist leaders as illustrated in the 2019 ruling by the Nigerian Federal High Court that "the arrest and subsequent deportation of ten Ambazonian leaders, including Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, to Cameroon was unlawful. The court ordered the Nigerian government to return them to Nigeria and pay them compensation of N200 million each for aggravated damage" and Abuja is unlikely to repeat the offence.

The fact that the Nigerian leader, Tinubu, has not congratulated his Cameroonian counterpart, is said to be indicative of support for Tchiroma.     

But since Nigeria does not want to freeze the complex relationship it has with Cameroon, it has not even acknowledged Tchiroma's presence in its territory; making his extradition a dead letter. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3635 of Monday November 24, 2025