Kidnappers of Cameroonian soldier demand FCFA 40 million ransom

The kidnappers of the Cameroonian-master-chef, Patrick Marshal Nzeh, abducted Sunday morning at sea close to the Bakassi Peninsula (Southwest) aboard a commercial boat, have demanded a ransom of 40 million FCFA "no later than Saturday," or they will execute him, disclosed to APA by close sources.

Although the identity of the pirates was not revealed, the first suspicions are in the direction of one of the many criminal groups roaming the Gulf of Guinea.

In the services of the Gendarmerie Brigade at Barack, the Constable was returning from a leave of absence for a few days when the boat transporting him was hijacked by assailants whose numbers remain unknown.

Hostage taking has fallen significantly for months on the Bakassi peninsula, formerly a conflicted area by Nigeria and Cameroon which The Hague International Court of Justice ended up attributing sovereignty to Cameroon as cited a report of October 10, 2002.

The last major act of hostage-taking in this area dates back to early November 2011 when 10 employees of the oil company Bourbon, including 6 French, all released, were abducted by pirates while their vessel was operating off the coast of Cameroon.

Similarly in February and at Barack, unidentified individuals attacked and killed a police officer while his colleague was taken hostage.

However, it is noted that the Cameroonian authorities are increasingly discreet in communicating the situation in the Bakassi area.