By Paul Jongas, BosNewsLife Africa Correspondent
NAIROBI/YAOUNDE (BosNewsLife)– Cameroon on Friday, November 15, blamed neighboring Nigeria’s militant group Boko Haram for for kidnapping a French Catholic priest.
Georges Vandenbeusch was seized in the early hours of Thursday, November 14, near Koza, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border, officials said.
The governor of Cameroon’s Far North region, Fonka Awa Augustine, ordered his region’s border with Nigeria closed.
Locals said however it may be too late as armed militants crossed into Nigeria on motorcycles after the kidnapping.
“This is shocking,” the governor said in published remarks. “All expatriates should restrict their movement in this region. They should stay within much secured areas and avoid visiting touristic sites.”
GUNMEN ATTACK
Investigations were continuing Friday, November 15, into reports that some 15 gunmen burst into the compound in Nguetchewe where the priest worked.
The Nigerian Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, is known to operate in the area.
“We are working with Cameroonian authorities to secure his release,” French officials said in a statement.
Boko Haram, or ‘Western education is a sin’ has been fighting for an Islamic state and has been blamed on deadly attacks against Christians, churches and other sites.
