Boko Haram denies abducting French family in Cameroon

Nigerian militant group Boko Haram has denied any involvement in the abduction of seven French tourists in northern Cameroon.

According to a statement issued by one of the senior commanders of the group, Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdulazeez, on Saturday, “There is no truth in the claims that we carried out the attack. No abduction was done by Boko Haram.”

“We have been hearing how people have linked us with the kidnap of the French nationals in Cameroon, but this is to state clearly that we do not know anything about it. We have nothing to do with the French people or their abductors,” he added.

On Tuesday, a source close to the French Embassy said that gunmen havekidnapped seven French tourists in Cameroon near the border with Nigeria.

“Seven French tourists were captured today by men, apparently on motorbikes, in the Cameroonian locality of Dadanga on the frontier with Nigeria,” the source said.

According to the source, the tourists including three adults and four children, were “returning from the Waza natural park,” located in the Far North Region.

Following the incident, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian issued a statement saying that “We believe that the Boko Haram carried out this kidnapping.”

The extremist group has waged a campaign of terror in northern Nigeria for almost four years. Boko Haram has also claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.Human rights groups report that violent actions by the group since mid-2009 have claimed more than 1,000 lives, including over 300 in 2012.