No fewer than 300 Boko Haram fighters have surrendered in Nigeria’s neighbouring country Cameroon in the past three weeks, Cameroon’s defense ministry has said.
According to the country’s military spokesman, Lt. Col. Didier Badjeck, the Islamist militants gave up their arms and asked for asylum in Cameroon.
Badjeck added that the fates of the terrorists are yet to be decided.
It would be recalled that fighters from neighboring Cameroon, Niger and Chad have been identified recently fighting alongside Nigeria’s homegrown Boko Haram sect.
The insurgents have in recent weeks attacked border towns and villages in Cameroon.
Boko Haram had seized a string of towns and declared an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria before the Nigerian military started recording victories with air and ground attacks that have resulted into 135 Boko Haram fighters also surrendered to Nigeria’s army
According to the Nigerian Defense Ministry, about 135 insurgents surrendered Tuesday night, some at Buni-Yadi some 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Konduga and others at Michika, 165 kilometers (100 miles) south of Konduga.
It was gathered that several militant commanders were among the dead including Mohammed Bashir, whom the Nigerian military identified as a double who posed in videos as Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.
The Nigerian military has claimed in a statement that Shekau has been killed in a battle last year.
Prior to the emergence of reports that Shekau has been killed, President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that the Boko Haram would end by next month.
Jonathan made the revelation on in Abuja, while speaking at the 66th National Executive Committee, NEC of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
He said the security challenge posed by the sect who have been killing innocent Nigerians as well as the destruction of properties estimated at billions of naira would drastically change.
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