The Defence headquarters has dispelled reports that 480 of its men had fled to Cameroon following a fierce battle with the terrorist group, Boko Haram.
In a statement on Monday afternoon, the military high command said “the Nigerian troops that were found in Cameroon was as a result of a sustained battle between the troops and the terrorists around the borders with Cameroun which saw the Nigerian troops charging through the borders in a tactical maneuver.
“Eventually they found themselves on Cameroonian soil. Being allies the normal protocol of managing such incident demanded that the troops submit their weapons in order to assure the friendly country that they were not on a hostile mission.
The statement posted on the defence headquarters website said that following necessary discussions between Nigerian and Cameroonian military authorities, the issues have been sorted out and the troops are on their way back to join their unit in Nigeria.
“The reference to the incidence as a defection is therefore not appropriate considering the discussion between the two countries’ military leadership and the series of contacts with the soldiers who have confirmed that they are safe.
“Meanwhile, troops are repelling a group of terrorists who are trying to enter the country through Gamborou Ngala. A group of them who fizzled into the town are being pursued,” it said.
The Cameroonian army had said early on Monday that some 480 Nigerian soldiers who sought refuge in the country, had been disarmed and accommodated in schools.
The news came a day after Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, released a new video in which he declared Gwosa, a town captured by the group, as part of an “Islamic Caliphate”.
A spokesperson for the Army spokesperson, Lt. Col Didier Badjek, was quoted by the BBC as saying that the Nigerian soldiers are currently in the Cameroonian town of Maroua, about 80km from the Nigerian border.
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