Tributes have poured in since the announcement of Ayah Paul’s death, the former MP and Supreme Court magistrate, in the early hours of December 25. The latest of such are from Maurice Kamto, leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, and also Barrister Michèle Ndoki, one of the founders of the Nation Builders Movement.
These two legal minds, in separate write-ups on platform X and Facebook, have praised late Justice Ayah Paul. They hailed him for standing for truth and speaking against injustice at a time when silence could have been safer.
The two lawyers believed they must continue the fight for the values that Ayah Paul stood for. To them, that is a legacy he has left behind.
Ayah Paul was a direct victim of a useless civil war—Maurice Kamto
Maurice Kamto, while extending his condolences to the bereaved family, said Ayah Paul was a direct victim of the ongoing war in English Cameroon.
In 2017, when the Anglophone crisis escalated, Ayah Paul was working at the Supreme Court. He believed in the struggles of English Cameroonians and sided with them. He faced kidnapping, endured eight months of detention without charge, and later received freedom through a presidential pardon.
President Biya convened the higher judiciary council, where they sent Ayah into retirement in his 60s.
According to Maurice Kamto, Ayah Paul Abine was an intrepid fighter for freedom and human rights. That he was a man of convictions deeply attached to the democracy in which he believed to the end.
“For expressing his opinion on an important issue affecting the life of the nation, he was subjected to all kinds of physical and moral torture after his arbitrary arrest.” Kamto said in his tribute.
“He had been deprived of the financial resources, starting with those to which he was entitled, necessary for his proper medical care,” Kamto stated.
Betrayed by His Peers
Maurice Kamto stated that despite serving the nation well, Ayah faced inhumane treatment and withered away under the indifferent gaze of his fellow magistrates and an English-speaking ‘elite’ that showed him cruelty while being subservient to the authorities.
According to him, in the courts, Ayah’s fellow magistrates, often of lower rank, were cruel to him; in the political and social arena, the English-speaking ‘elite’ mocked him.
“In both cases, cynicism and cowardice, which ruin the humanity of Cameroonians, got the better of him,” Kamto said.
To him, the political leader AYAH Paul ABINE was a moderate man who advocated an inclusive national dialogue to emerge from the civil war that some have imposed on our country.” And for that, Kamto believed that “His struggle must be continued.”
Ayah was a conscience for Cameroon—barrister Michèle Ndoki
Paying her tribute, Barrister Michèle Ndoki describes Ayah as a giant, a man whose life embodied the relentless pursuit of justice and the defence of human dignity.
“He was a conscience for Cameroon, a voice that could not be silence. And a symbol of hope for a nation in search of equity and justice,” Michèle Ndoki said.
According to her, Ayah’s career, both in the judiciary and parliament, was a masterful lesson in courage and conviction.
“He dared to speak truth to power, even when silence would have been safer,” she said.
“For his boldness in demanding better for our nation, Justice Ayah has faced unimaginable hardships.” Michèle Ndoki added.
Ayah was never intimidated
Even while jailed and stripped of his entitlement, Ayah remained steadfast in his commitment to the cause of justice. All this, despite his deteriorating health.
“Justice Ayah’s life was a demonstration of resilience. Even in forced retirement, in the face of persistent harassment, he remained steadfast in his humanitarian efforts and calls for peace.” Michèle Ndoki said.
To her, Ayah meant that justice is not an abstract idea but a concrete reality that one must defend every day.
“His unwavering courage in the face of adversity inspired countless Cameroonians, myself included, to continue to believe in the possibility of a more just and equitable future.” She added.
The fight for justice must continue
Barrister Michèle Ndoki, like others, believed in continuing the struggles that Ayah championed.
“As we mourn his passing, we must also confront the responsibility he leaves us. Justice Ayah’s life was a call to action—a call to reject complacency and fear and to embrace the fight for what is right. In his honour, we must renew our commitment to the values he so passionately defended.” She said.
Michèle stated that Justice Ayah Paul Abine may have left us, but his spirit remains a beacon to those of them who continue the fight.
She said they will remember him as a man who stood when others knelt, a man who bore the weight of injustice with dignity. A man who believed, until his last breath, in the promise of a better Cameroon.
“Rest in peace, Justice Ayah. Your legacy remains alive in our hearts and in our struggle.” Said Michèle Ndoki.
