Nigeria’s neighbour, Cameroon, yesterday, came
under attack from Boko Haram Islamic sect as the terrorists launched an
offensive on the home of Cameroon’s vice Prime Minister, Amadou Ali, abducting
his wife and killing three others in the northern town of Kolofata.
A local religious leader and mayor, Seini
Boukar_Lamine, was also kidnapped in a separate attack on his home.
According to Cameroon=s Information Minister,
Issa Tchiroma told Reuters news agency yesterday that, “I can confirm that the
home of Vice Prime Minister Amadou_Ali in Kolofata came under a savage attack
from Boko Haram_militants. They unfortunately took away his wife. They also
attacked the lamido’s (religious leader’s) residence and he was also
kidnapped,” he said, adding that at least three people were killed in the
attack.
Boko Haram fighters clashed with the Cameroonian
army in cross‑border attacks twice since Friday, killing four soldiers.
Cameroon has deployed more than 1,000 soldiers
along its border to help combat the Nigerian armed group.
In May, Boko Haram kidnapped 10 Chinese workers
from northern Cameroon.
A massive assault last week by Boko Haram in
which the group took control of northeast Nigerian town of Damboa displaced
more than 15,000 people.
Meanwhile, two persons suspected to be residents
of Damboa community taking refuge amongst the over 10,000 displaced persons in
Shaffa District of Hawul Local Government Area of Borno state were slaughtered
weekend by gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram sect.
Sources in Shaffa explained that the attackers
who also went away with two Pickup vans belonging to residents of the area.
removed the heads of the deceased and placed them on their chest before fleeing
without confrontation.
Another source added that the attackers who after
slaughtering their victims also warned residents including the Traditional
ruler in Shaffa to desist from accommodating any Damboa refugees or risk deadly
attacks.
It will be recalled that multiple attacks on
Damboa Local Government Area of the state which claimed the lives of the
Commanding Officer of 195 Battalion, a Divisional Police Officer, DPO five
policemen and 16 soldiers as well as many civilians led to the sacking of
thousands of residents who fled to different locations, while others were
taking refuge in designated camps in Biu and Maiduguri metropolis.
Speaking further on the attack on two of the
refugees, a top politician from Shaffa who did not want his name to be
mentioned in print for security reason, told our Correspondent that “the gunmen
did not touch any residents of Shaffa as they only traced their victims and
killed them before firing sporadic gunshots in the air warning people
especially the traditional ruler (name withheld) to stop receiving or
accommodation any Damboa fleeing victim or risk attacks on his community”.
It was also gathered that the gunmen before
fleeing Shaffa told residents that they (terrorists) have vowed to hunt any
fleeing Damboa refugee and kill, alleging that the people of Damboa were their
enemies who were against their mission…Vanguard Nigeria