Kousseri, Cameroon (Face2FaceAfrica) The Nigerian Islamic militant sect Boko Haram has extended its activities into Kousseri, a Cameroonian border town with Nigeria, situated in the Far North Region of Cameroon.
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On May 7th at 2 a.m., more than 30 suspected members of Boko Haram, who were very heavily armed, attacked the Territorial Brigade Post of the Cameroonian Gendarmerie, killing a chief warrant officer on duty and freeing one of their members who was in custody.
The imprisoned Boko Haram member was arrested Saturday with arms in a 405 Peagout car, according to Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV).
According to the state broadcaster, immediately after Boko Haram arrived, they opened fire and one of the gendarmerie officers on guard who attempted to push them back was killed in a heavy gun battle. Two other detainees in prison cells were seriously injured.
Boko Haram ransacked the gendarmerie post and took away arms and ammunitions. Reports say Cameroonian authorities have now tightened up security in the area. This is allegedly second time Boko Haram has killed a member of the Cameroonian defense forces in the area.
In March, a second-class soldier on mission to the locality was shot dead by suspected Boko Haram militants.
The incident happened at a time when Cameroon’s Senior Minister for Territorial Administration and Decentralization Rene Emmanuel Sadi had just left the area after chairing a security meeting on how to strategize on ensuring proper security in the locality.
In response to Tuesday’s murder, Governor of the Far North Region Fonka Augustine Awah has visited Kousseri (pictured), where they held an emergency security meeting on ways to put a stop to the threatening activities of Boko Haram on Cameroonian territory.
The Republic of Cameroon and the Federal Republic of Nigeria share a very long border line, which is porous on both sides.This easily facilitates across-the-border lawlessness as effective security control is severely lacking.
The people of Kousseri share cultural and religious affinities with northern Nigerian, which makes it very difficult to differentiate between the peoples of both countries as they have the same features. They also equally intermarry.
