22-11-2024 10:42 PM Jerusalem Timing

27 Hostages Held by Boko Haram Released in Cameroon

27 Hostages Held by Boko Haram Released in Cameroon

Twenty-seven hostages seized by suspected militants from Boko Haram in Cameroon, including 10 Chinese workers, have been released.

Nigeria securityTwenty-seven hostages seized by suspected militants from Boko Haram in Cameroon, including 10 Chinese workers, have been released, the Cameroon presidency said on Saturday.

According to World Bulletin website, the Chinese workers were seized in May near the town of Waza, 20 km (12 miles) from the Nigerian border.

The others freed include the wife of Cameroon's vice-prime minister who was seized in July, the presidency said.

"The 27 hostages kidnapped on May 16, 2014, at Waza and on July 27, 2014, at Kolofata were given this night to Cameroonian authorities," President Paul Biya said in a statement read on state radio.

"Ten Chinese, the wife of the Vice Prime Minister Amadou Ali, the Lamido (a local religious leader) of Kolofata, and the members of their families kidnapped with them are safe," it said, giving no further details.

Boko Haram stepped up cross-border attacks into Cameroon this year as the state deployed troops to its northern region, joining international efforts to combat the militants.