According to police and local sources, Kouna was arrested amidst a crackdown on high-level corruption in the French African country, Reuters reported on Friday.
There were speculations that Kouna was arrested as part of an anti-corruption drive known as Operation Sparrowhawk. Two other persons — a former Ministry of Public Works and the head of a state company, also an ex-rector of the University of Douala — were arrested earlier in the week as part of the operation.
Kouna was removed from his ministerial position during President Paul Biya’s cabinet reshuffle on March 2, and he had already been ordered in February not to leave the country.
“Atangana Kouna is in Cameroon. He was arrested in Nigeria and sent back to Cameroon. He arrived this evening (Thursday),” a police source, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the press, said.
A Cameroon-based private television channel, Vision 4, also reported that Kouna arrived at the international airport in Yaounde at 17:20 GMT on Thursday, escorted by police officers.
Reuters said the spokesperson for the Cameroonian government was not immediately reachable for comment, and that officials in Nigeria didn’t comment on the development
