Five Abducted Teachers Released in Cameroon

Five teachers abducted from a college in Cameroon’s English-speaking west were released, state-owned media and a local NGO said on Thursday.

The five were seized on Tuesday in an attack on a teacher training centre in the town of Wum that left a policeman dead, local authorities said earlier.

The Cameroon Tribune newspaper reported that they were freed in an “operation” on Wednesday in the village of Isu and escorted by special forces back to Wum.

cameroon-flag-std — Flag of Cameroon. Credit: The Flag Shop

Nigel Mbaya, an official with a local education NGO, told AFP that each of the five hostages had paid a ransom worth about $3,500.

He said the army had not played a role in securing their release and that no separatist group had claimed responsibility for the abduction.

The two English-speaking western regions of the mostly French-speaking central African country have been gripped by a deadly conflict between government forces and separatist groups for nearly a decade.

Author

Jimisayo Opanuga

Jimisayo Opanuga is a web writer in the Digital Department at News Central TV, where she covers African and international stories. Her reporting focuses on social issues, health, justice, and the environment, alongside general-interest news. She is passionate about telling stories that inform the public and give voice to underreported communities.