Cameroon expels thousands of Nigerians as part of fight against Islamic

At least seven people were killed and about 20 others were kidnapped by suspected Boko Haram militants in an overnight raid on a village near Cameroon’s northern border, a senior military officer said on Tuesday.

He said the lifting of restrictions was a fallout of the policy of the new military command with regards to the ongoing military operations in the country.

Cameroon has arrested dozens accused of promoting radical ideology and collaborating with Boko Haram. It says it wants stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Nigeria, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south.

The Nigerian Army has attributed its recent successes and the renewed vigour in the fight against the Boko Haram in the north-east to the participation of its leadership in the front line and an operation from an offensive standpoint.

The hostages were released on Sunday near Aulari, about 70 kilometres (40 miles) south of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, once a jihadist stronghold. “They burnt down houses and shops before they left, yelling “Allahu Akbar”.

The Executive Secretary of the Centre for Crisis Communication, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (rtd), who made this disclosure today in Abuja, said, “The efforts by some members of the group to get across to the Centre and the discussions we have had, have been encouraging”.

Nigeria’s military is not outgunned by Boko Haram and needs training, not arms, to defeat the insurgents blamed for the deaths of thousands in three countries, said Rep. Darrell Issa. “Many” Islamists were killed, it added. Our terrorized women and children fled into the bush and returned to Maiduguri this morning.

Notably, the president’s assertions came shortly after an announcement that Benin planned to contribute 800 troops to a regional force tasked with eradicating Boko Haram.

“We are getting cooperation from the global community, including information on ships that take crude oil from Nigeria and change direction or offload their content into other ships mid-stream”.

Witnesses in nearby villages said the militants had set fire to houses, sending columns of black smoke into the sky.

Last month, U.S. President Barack Obama offered strong support for Buhari after the two held talks in Washington, saying the Nigerian president had a “clear agenda” for defeating Boko Haram.

“There is nobody in Gamboru”, he told AFP.