Security - Nigerian Islamists release video of kidnapped French family - A group claiming to be Nigeria's violent Islamic group Boko Haram on Monday released a video on the online video sharing website 'YouTube' showing the French family that was kidnapped in neighbouring Cameroon 19 February.
The video, which is a little over three minutes, showed the seven members of the French family - two men, one woman and four children - sitting between two armed and masked men.
A third armed man, acting as the spokesman of the group, said the group belonged to the Jama’a Ahl al-Sunnah lil Da’wa wal Jihad, better known as Boko Haram.
He said the French family was taken hostage because France was allegedly waging war on Islam, adding that the French hostages would be released once the Nigerian government freed all female Jihadists in its custody and Cameroon released their male counterparts.
The spokesman said if the Jihadists were not released, the French hostages would be killed.
“Finally, I say to you, fulfill all of these things, and if you leave one thing from them we will slaughter those we took, we will slaughter those we took,” he said.
Boko Haram, which means Western education is forbidden, has killed over 3,000 people in gun and bomb attacks since launching its violent campaign in 2009, aimed at establishing an Islamic state in secular Nigeria.
A breakaway faction of the group, Ansaru, specialises in taking foreigners hostage.
Pana 26/02/2013