The French family kidnapped by Cameroonian rebels and paraded to the world via YouTube has been released, a government official has revealed over the national radio channel.
“They are all alive and well,” confirmed Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, secretary general of the Cameroonian presidency, adding the family was released on Thursday night.
The family have returned to the Cameroonian capital Yaounde, and will be repatriated to France as soon as possible, the presidency said.
HumanIPO reported in February how the family – of three adults and four children – shot into the global limelight after their kidnappers posted a video on YouTube to convey their demands, showing the family in captivity.
During the YouTube video, the kidnappers said they were members of the Boko Haram militant group, based in Nigeria, and the abduction had been carried out as an act of revenge for France’s intervention in Mali.
The kidnappers demanded the release of all Boko Haram militants being held by the Cameroonian and Nigerian states.
However, a Boko Haram spokesperson denied the kidnappers belonged to the group.
