TheCable

The government of Cameroon has deployed 1,000 soldiers to its border with Nigeria in a bid to contain the ongoing insurgency in the country, Ambassador Aminu Wali, minister of foreign affairs, revealed on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) during a brainstorming session on Nigeria’s foreign policy, Wali, who was represented by Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, explained that the gesture is in line with the outcome of the security summit held in Paris in May.

President of France, Francios Hollande, had summoned West African leaders to a meeting to discuss the high rate of insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa, with the aim of proffering solutions.

“In responding to the threat being posed by Boko Haram, Nigeria had to embrace the opportunity presented by the May 17, 2014 Paris Summit on Security in Nigeria,” said Wali.

“Since the Paris summit, a number of significant steps have been taken, especially establishment of the Intelligence Fusion Centre, technical assistance by our international partners and deployment by Cameroon of 1,000 troops.’’

The minister also said that the meeting of the foreign ministers in London on June 12 took steps to strengthen response to the Chibok girls’ abduction and tackle Boko Haram menace.

However, he conceded that rescuing the Chibok girls would require extreme care, tact and patience so as not to expose the girls to harm.

“Our security forces are, therefore, taking utmost care in dealing with the situation,’’ he said.