The Oslo District Court has authorized the continued pretrial detention of Cho Lucas Yabah, better known as Ayaba Cho Lucas, until November 10, 2026, the scheduled start of his trial in Norway. Judge Kristian Toft issued the ruling on September 7 at the prosecution’s request.

“Cho Lucas Yabah, born on August 11, 1972, may remain in pretrial detention until another decision is made by the prosecution or the court, but no later than November 10, 2026,” states the hearing record reviewed by SBBC. According to the trial schedule provided to SBBC, proceedings are expected to last slightly more than three months.

Emmanuel Nsahlai, a Cameroonian-American lawyer who has followed the case and initiated legal action against the separatist leader, said the trial is “scheduled to begin on November 10 and conclude on February 19, 2027.”

September 15, 2026, had previously been mentioned as a possible start date. Proceedings are now scheduled to begin nearly two months later.

Court Again Cites Flight Risk

In its decision to keep Ayaba Cho in custody, the Oslo court relied on an argument raised during previous hearings: the risk that he might evade prosecution. According to the hearing record, that risk remains “essentially the same” as it was when his detention was last extended on August 10, 2026.

The judge found that no developments since the previous ruling justified concluding that the risk had decreased sufficiently.

The court also examined possible alternatives to incarceration but determined that none would adequately prevent the risk of flight in this case. It further departed from the usual requirement to review pretrial detention every four weeks.

The judge reasoned that another hearing before the trial would serve little purpose because the proceedings had already been scheduled and no significant change in circumstances was expected before they began. The court also found that keeping Ayaba Cho in detention for the nine weeks between the September 7 ruling and the scheduled trial date would not be disproportionate.

In reaching that conclusion, it cited the seriousness of the suspected offenses, the strength of the suspicion against him and the potential sentence if he is convicted.

The September 7 hearing record refers in particular to Section 108 of Norway’s Penal Code, read together with Section 102. Section 108 criminalizes conspiracy or direct and public incitement to commit certain offenses, including crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Section 102 defines crimes against humanity. These include murder, severe deprivation of liberty, torture and persecution when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population.

The scope of the judicial proceedings has widened since Ayaba Cho’s arrest.

In February 2026, Norwegian authorities also announced war crimes charges against him. In a report published in June, the United Nations Secretary-General subsequently stated that Ayaba Cho had been charged with war crimes on February 9, 2026. Norwegian authorities are investigating his alleged role in violence committed in Cameroon during the conflict in the country’s Northwest and Southwest regions.

Ayaba Cho is identified as one of the leaders of the Ambazonia Governing Council, which is associated with the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF). He is presumed innocent, and the allegations against him will be examined during the trial.

More Than Two Years in Pretrial Detention

Ayaba Cho was arrested in Oslo on September 24, 2024, and a court ordered his pretrial detention the following day. The initial detention orders cited, among other concerns, the risk that evidence might be altered or destroyed.

Beginning in 2025, the risk of flight also became one of the grounds used by Norwegian courts to justify his continued detention. Since his arrest, the Norwegian judiciary has extended his detention several times.

Unless another decision is issued before then, Ayaba Cho will have spent slightly more than two years and one month in pretrial detention when his trial begins on November 10.

The September 7 hearing record also states that he had the right to appeal the detention ruling to the Court of Appeal within two weeks.

Source: Sbbc