BBC reports on Monday by the Cameroon Defence Ministry who revealed that the hostages were freed “as defence forces pursued the attackers who were heading back to Nigeria”.
The defence ministry said
the abductions took place in the villages of Maki and Mada near the city of
Mokolo in Cameroon’s Far North region, adding that most of the hostages taken
during the cross-border raid were women and children.
Cameroonian police and
officials said the abduction is one of the biggest by the extremists outside
Nigeria, adding that the Boko Haram militants arrived in the early hours of
Sunday morning when it was still dark.
The country’s security
source said the assailants burned dozens of homes to the ground, but he could
not give a detailed account of how the hostages who are now free managed to
break loose from the sect members.
Cameroon reportedly has not
given details about its military operation and there has been no word from
those freed or from the Boko Haram sect members.
The abductions raised fears
that the terrorist group was expanding its attacks, especially as the sect had
taken control of towns and villages in the north-eastern part of Nigeria.
The Islamist sect is reportedly
threatening neighbouring countries like Chad, which recently sent soldiers to
Cameroon to help repel the terrorist group.
Ghana’s President John
Mahama has called on African leaders to discuss plans this week to ‘deal
permanently’ with Boko Haram, and went on to suggest that a multinational force
be considered.
Niger and Cameroon have
criticised the Nigerian government for not doing more to end the Boko Haram
insurgency which is ravaging parts of the nation, while politicians appear more
focused on campaigning for next month’s elections paying little attention to
the insecurity troubling the country.
Boko Haram in a recent
attack in Zamfara State reportedly killed more than 100 members of a vigilante
group, while it reportedly kidnapped around 80 people in Cameroon on Sunday,
January 18, 2015.
BBC
what of d other 60?
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