Did 480 Nigerian soldiers escape to Cameroon to avoid fighting Boko Haram? A Cameroonian official said they did. But Nigerian military is denying it, saying the soldiers were involved in a “tactical manoeuvre”.
The matter remained unclear yet as the Defence Headquarters insisted that there was no defection. The BBC had reported that 480 Nigerian soldiers were in Cameroon, following their refusal to fight the insurgents.
But there were indications last night that the DHQ had ordered a probe into the “presence” of the 480 soldiers in Cameroon.
The Cameroon Army, in a report on the BBC, claimed that the soldiers defected. Their Army spokesman Lt. Col. Didier Badjek said the soldiers had been disarmed and were being accommodated in schools.
The Director of Defence Information, Major-Gen. Chris Olukolade, in a
statement on the alleged disarming of the 480 soldiers in Cameroon,
said: “The Nigerian troops that were found in Cameroon was as a result
of a sustained battle between the troops and the terrorists around the
borders with Cameroon, which saw the Nigerian troops charging through
the borders in a tactical manoeuver.
“Eventually, they found themselves on Cameroonian soil. Being allies, the normal protocol of managing such incident demanded that the troops submit their weapons in order to assure the friendly country that they were not on a hostile mission.
“Following necessary discussions between Nigerian and Cameroonian military authorities, the issues have been sorted out. Subsequently, the troops are on their way back to join their unit in Nigeria.
“The reference to the incident as a defection is, therefore, not appropriate, considering the discussion between the two countries’ military leadership and the series of contacts with the soldiers who have confirmed that they are safe.
“Meanwhile, troops are repelling a group of terrorists who are trying to enter the country through Gamboru-Ngala. A group of them who fizzled into the town are being pursued.”
“We have sorted out things with the Cameroonian authorities.”
But sources say the Nigerian government is trying hard to hide the truth. In fact, clashes were continuing in the border town of Gamboru-Ngala.
Boko Haram on Sunday released a video in which it said it had established an Islamic state in the towns and villages it controls in the northeast especially Gwoza.
The Nigerian soldiers are in the Cameroonian town of Maroua, about 80km from the Nigerian border, Lt. Col. Badjek told the BBC.
Thousands of civilians have also fled across the border.
“Eventually, they found themselves on Cameroonian soil. Being allies, the normal protocol of managing such incident demanded that the troops submit their weapons in order to assure the friendly country that they were not on a hostile mission.
“Following necessary discussions between Nigerian and Cameroonian military authorities, the issues have been sorted out. Subsequently, the troops are on their way back to join their unit in Nigeria.
“The reference to the incident as a defection is, therefore, not appropriate, considering the discussion between the two countries’ military leadership and the series of contacts with the soldiers who have confirmed that they are safe.
“Meanwhile, troops are repelling a group of terrorists who are trying to enter the country through Gamboru-Ngala. A group of them who fizzled into the town are being pursued.”
“We have sorted out things with the Cameroonian authorities.”
But sources say the Nigerian government is trying hard to hide the truth. In fact, clashes were continuing in the border town of Gamboru-Ngala.
Boko Haram on Sunday released a video in which it said it had established an Islamic state in the towns and villages it controls in the northeast especially Gwoza.
The Nigerian soldiers are in the Cameroonian town of Maroua, about 80km from the Nigerian border, Lt. Col. Badjek told the BBC.
Thousands of civilians have also fled across the border.
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