Hidden truths behind hostages’ release

The release of 27 hostages, including 10 Chinese workers and the wife of Cameroon’s Vice Prime Minister Ahmadou Ali, Babiana Akaoua, held by suspected Boko Haram militants have been received with mixed feelings, leaving so many unanswered questions.

President Biya said in a statement on state radio that the 27 hostages kidnapped on May 16, 2014, at Waza and on July 27, 2014, at Kolofata had been released to Cameroonian authorities.

The hostages were flown to Yaounde under tight security after the release, and were received by family members as well as Chinese diplomats.

Ahmadou Ali was present at the airport where he happily received his wife who was abducted alongside the Lamido and Mayor of Kolofata.

No details have however been given on the procedures and negotiations reached between the kidnappers and the Cameroon Government.

Media reports have it that the President of the Republic was at the center of the negotiations for the release.

There is however an indication that a ransom was paid either through exchange of Boko Haram militants in Cameroon custody or huge amounts of money in exchange for the victims.

Experts have however said it must have cost the Government between one to five million Euros, that is, FCFA 600,000,000 to 3,000,000,000 per hostage, depending on the victim in question.

When French hostages were released after being captured in Cameroon, Nicolas Sakorzy is reported to have said, the French do not pay ransom but other countries pay for the liberation of French Hostages.

Pundits have interpreted his saying as a confirmation that the Cameroon Government has been paying huge sums of money as ransom.

Though it is not very clear how much was paid in exchange for the hostages, The SUN is also informed that a negotiation expert, Honorable Abba Malla was very instrumental in the deal.

Honourable Abba Malla, it should be noted has been at the forefront of at least three negotiations between the militants and the Government.

The delicate negotiations according to our source must either have been done at the residence of Abba Malla at Djemakiya, not far from the toll gate as it is alleged to have been the venue of most top negotiations in the Far North.

Another source alleges that it was done near Bankia, a border village between the Borno State of Nigeria and the Mayo Sava Division in Cameroon.

We are also informed that the Secretary General at the presidency, who sojourned in the Far North for close to five days prior to the release of the hostages, was part of the negotiation deal as he was even spotted in a BIR T-shirt at the airport when hostages were flown in.

Nigerian Newspapers had already reported that negotiations were ongoing for the release.

French Language newspaper, Aurore Plus reported in its October 10 edition that liberation of the hostages was certain for Friday October 10 or latest on Sunday October 12.

That same day, the President of the Republic announced the release of the hostages taking everyone by surprise.

The announcement came after Communication Minister; Issa Thiroma Bakary had told Cameroon Online on the same Friday October 10 that Boko Haram had not released any hostage.

That same evening when the hostages were flown in, Minister Issa Tchiroma said on state TV that he congratulates the President of the Republic for working underground towards the release of the hostages.

Tchiroma told reporters in Yaounde that “You can imagine that after the ordeal they are very happy to be released and very relieved but they are very weak. They are in very poor physical condition.”

However, observers have been keen to say that the hostages looked ok after the release.

This further insinuates that they were not in very bad conditions under the hands of the kidnappers.

It is for this reason that the freed hostages were taken to the Yaounde General Hospital upon their arrival in the capital for medical examination.

The official announcement therefore confirms that the attacks were done by the Islamist group, Boko Haram, therefore putting to question the issue of a Cameroon Boko Haram that nearly sent the country the Rwandan way a few weeks ago.

The question of some Cameroonians being involved in the attack can also not be thrown away as only recently, a Mayor in the Far North was arrested and whisked to Yaounde for questioning.

The whole issue has been raising a lot of questions which are yet to be answered by the power that be.

The move by the president has however been recorded as a plus to the regime diplomatically and politically, since it is the right of the state to protect its citizens.