Boko Haram frees Amadou Ali’s wife, 26 others

-Over 200M FCFA, arms & ammunition allegedly paid to secure release of hostages

-Chadian president named as key negotiator 

By Sylvanus Ezieh Acha’ana in Yaounde

While the Yaounde authorities continue to feast in worldwide commendation of their unmatched negotiation efforts that have seen the release of the wife of the vice prime minister in-charge of relations with the assemblies; Francoise Agnes Moukouri and twenty six other hostages, an outstanding website, SaharaReporters, has  thrown in a spanner in the works with a shouting allegation that the Cameroonian authorities might have paid the Boko Haram insurgents at least $400,000 ( over 200MFCFA) in ransom in order to secure the release of Amadou Ali’s wife and the rest of the captives. The money, according to the website, was given to the Cameroonian authorities by the Chinese government. Boko Haram subsequently released 10 Chinese road construction workers who had been held hostage since their abduction in May.

SaharaReporters also alleges that the Cameroonian government agreed to release four commanders of the Islamist group who had been in Cameroonian jails. Writes the website: “The most disturbing part of the deal is that Boko Haram militants demanded and received a significant supply of arms and ammunition, including a guarantee by Cameroon that the weapons would have safe passage to insurgent fighters...our source disclosed that President Idris Derby of Chad was instrumental in the negotiations because of his closeness to some Boko Haram commanders...”

In what looked like a tacit reply to the allegations by the website, communication minister who doubles as government’s propaganda officer, Issa Tchiroma Bakary has spiritedly denied that any such deals were reached before the hostages were set free in the night of last Thursday breaking Friday.

 Intelligent military sources have hinted The Guardian Post that the hostages were handed over to the Cameroonian authorities, led by the secretary general at the presidency, Ngoh Ngoh Ferdinand in Kolofata and then flown to the nation’s capital, Yaounde. 

The former hostages, including ten Chinese workers and the wife of Cameroon's deputy prime minister, Amadou Ali arrived at the Yaounde Nsimalen international airport on Saturday morning; looking weary and unkempt. One of the Chinese men and two Cameroonians collapsed at the airport and were rushed to the Yaounde  general hospital. Cameroon’s government sent all 27 to the hospital’s emergency unit to be assessed.
The hostages were kidnapped in two incidents, both in Cameroon’s Far North. The Chinese workers were taken May 16 from a construction camp near the town of Waza amid gunfire that killed a Cameroonian soldier. The rest were captured in two July 27 attacks around Kolofata that left 15 dead.   
To obtain their release, Cameroon officials negotiated with the dreaded Nigerian terrorist group but paid no ransom to the militants, Issa Tchiroma Bakari told a news conference at the weekend. The militants, months ago had demanded money and the release of all Boko Haram members taken prisoners in Cameroon, according to earlier media reports.

But President Biya in a statement that was read over state radio on Saturday morning only announced that: “The 27 hostages kidnapped on May 16, 2014, at Waza and on July 27, 2014, at Kolofata have been given to Cameroonian authorities. 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." No details were given on the circumstances of the release or whether a ransom was paid.

Former hostage, Seini Boukar, a Muslim cleric, mayor and traditional ruler of Kolofata, told inquisitive journalists on arrival at the Nsimalen airport that he and the other captives had not been physically brutalized but were psychologically tormented by the abductors. The cleric expressed gratitude to all who worked for their liberation and added that he lacked words of thanks for President Paul Biya.

Alhaji Boukar, a Kolofata resident whose two sisters and a brother were kidnapped, told newsmen that he was happy to have them back. He said he was extremely happy to meet members of his family and their cleric and traditional ruler. He added that in African cultures, when a leader is kidnapped, so is the whole community. Alhaji pleaded with the authorities to ensure the security of its people living near the long border with Nigeria, where Boko Haram has been waging a bloody insurgency since 2009.