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Sunday 2 November 2014
Boko-Mubi battle: 300 Nigerian soldiers flee to Cameroon again
No fewer
than 300
Nigerian
soldiers
fled to
Cameroon when Boko Haram insurgents overran
Mubi, the second largest city in Borno State from
security forces on Wednesday, SUNDAY PUNCH
has learnt.
Cameroonian military sources told our
correspondent that Nigerian soldiers fled the
north-eastern part of Nigeria, where the
insurgency launched by the sect was raging, and
crossed the Nigeria-Cameroon border.
The sources also said more Nigerian troops might
have fled to other border towns in Cameroon
after the Mubi attack. However, he added that
their number had yet to be ascertained.
SUNDAY PUNCH also learnt that the deserting
Nigerian soldiers would be moved away from the
border areas to more secure locations, where
they would be disarmed, fed and eventually
repatriated to Nigeria.
The insurgents had taken over Mararaba Hildi,
some few kilometres to Mubi town, on Tuesday,
prompting a mass exodus of residents.
Hundreds of soldiers were said to have fled Mubi,
which hosts two universities, as insurgents made
advances to take over the town on Wednesday.
Speaking to SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday under the
condition of anonymity, a senior Cameroonian
military officer involved in the provision of
welfare materials to the deserters, said, “They
(Nigerian soldiers) are mostly around Boucla
village in Bourha sub-division.
“So far, we can estimate the number of arrivals to
be at about 300. These are the ones who arrived
in uniform but we know that there are several
others who shed their uniforms for civilian
attires.”
The Mubi rout also forced thousands of Nigerian
civilians to hit border villages in Cameroon in
Benoue and Mayo Louti Divisions, and around
Gachiga town.
It was, however, learnt that Cameroonian
government was worried about the increasing
number of refugees and where to keep them.
The relocation of Nigerian refugees was said to
have become necessary as insurgents had
previously attacked locations where fleeing
Nigerian soldiers were housed.
Protests by indigenes of the border towns over
attacks on the camps were said to have forced the
Cameroonian government to adopt a policy of
moving deserters far away from the border and
out of the reach of Boko Haram.
It was further learnt that Cameroon had begun
screening of deserters and refugees to prevent
infiltration by insurgents.
“This time around, we are conducting a more
thorough screening to avoid letting in Boko
Haram infiltrators, who are known to inhabit the
ranks of the Nigerian military,” an official of the
Cameroonian government had told our
correspondent in confidence.
Another Cameroonian military officer, who
insisted on anonymity, expressed fears over
possible infiltration of the country’s system
through the refugee camps. He declined to give
further details on how the screening was being
conducted.
He said, “Taking them in is not something to make
noise about. You and I know that we are in a
military situation here. This is a war zone with
Boko Haram spies crawling all over the place.
“The number we take and where we take them
are obviously a military intelligence affair and
nobody can give you that information, even if you
were to approach the authorities in Yaounde.”
In a related development, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt
that Boko Haram had been cultivating and
recruiting local fighters among Cameroonian
youths.
The sect is operating cells that have been in
operation in Cameroon for over three years,
recruiting through what a source described as
“financial enticement and intimidation.”
Community leaders in the Far North region says
thousands of Cameroonian youths had joined the
ranks of Boko Haram since the beginning of the
year.
“These are mostly young unemployed
Cameroonians lured by handsome financial
proposals by Boko Haram point men. Other Boko
Haram sleeper cells are run by senior Islamists
intimidated into doing the bidding of the sect,”
one of the traditional leaders in the area, who
refused to have his name in print, told our
correspondent.
Recruitment of youths by the sect is said to be
gaining ground in Cameroon and other
neighbouring countries, raising fears that the
activities of the insurgents might spread to other
parts of West-African sub-region.
The sect had abducted seven members of the
Fournier family from France in Cameroon in 2013.
They were later released after a huge amount of
money was reportedly paid as ransom.
Senior military sources confirmed that some high-
ranking Boko Haram members arrested in
Cameroon were exchanged for the release of the
wife of the Cameroonian Vice-Prime Minister,
Ahmadou Ali, and 16 members of his family who
were abducted in Kolofata on July 27, as well as
10 Chinese road workers abducted in Waza in
April, 2014.
In another related development, top
Cameroonian military officials have insisted there
is a close cooperation between the Nigerian and
Cameroonian armies.
Information on the total number of Boko Haram
insurgents detained in Cameroon has been
classified as military intelligence.
However, it was learnt that the Cameroonian
military had invited their Nigerian counterparts to
interrogate Boko Haram suspects, Abakar Ali alias
Mustapha Umar, Mahamat Ali and Issiaka Guere,
who were arrested on September 23, 2014.
Other suspected members of the sect in
detention, who include Cameroonians, will be
tried by a special military tribunal in Yaounde,
Cameroon, it was learnt.
“We cannot tell you their numbers now because
investigations are still going on. When the
investigations will be completed, there is the
possibility that some of the people being held
now on suspicion of being members of Boko
Haram might be found to be innocent.
“Others would surely be finally identified as
Cameroonians. The decision as to the fate of
those found to be foreigners will be taken after
the conclusion of the investigations. But I must
tell you that besides Cameroonians and
Nigerians, there are also members of Boko Haram
from other neighbouring countries, which names
we cannot cite now”, an official involved in the
investigation disclosed.
However, the Cameroonian authorities are said to
be reluctant on the repatriation of suspected
leaders of the sect in their detention, as they
might return to the battlefield should they escape
When our correspondent contacted the Director
of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen Chris
Olukolade, for his reaction to the issue, he said he
would not comment on it.
“I won’t comment on that,” he said.
In August, the Cameroonian Army Spokesman, Lt.-
Col. Didier Badjek, had said Nigerian troops had
fled to Cameroon after intense fighting with Boko
Haram.
But Olukolade, had refuted the desertion claim,
saying the soldiers merely strayed into Cameroon.
While Cameroonian authorities said over 700
Nigerian soldiers fled Boko Haram advances into
Cameroon, Nigerian authorities had insisted that
only 480 went into Cameroonian territory on
“technical manoeuver.”
In recent times, Nigerian military have been
battling with mutiny and have set up court
martials to try soldiers who fled from battle.
On August 27, the military leadership arrested
several soldiers, who deserted the army. The
arrested soldiers came from different battalions.
A month after, the Defence Headquarters
announced that another set of 60 soldiers would
be arraigned before a General Court Martial by
military authorities in Abuja on October 2 for
mutiny. The soldiers allegedly committed mutiny
on August 4, 2014 by refusing to join troops in
Maiduguri for “an operation.”
Their arraignment which was to take place at the
Sani Abacha Barracks in Abuja came as some of
the 12 soldiers convicted on September 15, 2014
by the GCM notified the Court of Appeal of their
intention to challenge their sentences.
The GCM headed by Brig. Gen. C. Okonkwo had
sentenced 12 out of 18 soldiers found guilty of
mutiny among other offences to death. Five of
them were discharged and acquitted and one
sentenced to 28 days’ imprisonment with hard
labour and reprimand.
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