--- description: Over half were children. title: Suspected Boko Haram Militants Kidnap Around 80 in Cameroon image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4dd9beee62219a54/69877a99e53aba65e54d71a9/boko-haram1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Cameroon](/tag/cameroon/) ## Cameroon Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Suspected Boko Haram Militants Kidnap Around 80 in Cameroon ## Video: Who Is The Leader Of Boko Haram? [Watch (HLS stream): Who Is The Leader Of Boko Haram?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/D9jtIA2G.m3u8) (2:13)  _Published 2014-05-08. Who Is The Leader Of Boko Haram?_  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 18, 2015 7:40 PM CUT  People gather against the Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria on Jan. 17, 2015 in Paris. People gather against the Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria on Jan. 17, 2015 in Paris.Jean Marmeisse—Corbis  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 18, 2015 7:40 PM CUT Suspected fighters from the Nigerian Islamist group [Boko Haram](http://time.com/3666496/5-facts-that-explain-the-threat-from-nigeria-boko-haram/ "undefined") kidnapped around 80 people Sunday, over half of whom were children, during a cross-border attack in neighboring Cameroon, officials said. The kidnappings were the largest in Cameroon since the terrorist group began expanding its operations to adjacent countries, including Chad, [_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/18/us-nigeria-violence-cameroon-idUSKBN0KR0R420150118 "undefined")[ reports.](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/18/us-nigeria-violence-cameroon-idUSKBN0KR0R420150118 "undefined") Three people were also killed during the attacks. “According to our initial information, around 30 adults, most of them herders, and 50 young girls and boys aged between 10 and 15 years were abducted,” an army officer in Cameroon told _Reuters_. Cameroon government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma has confirmed the attacks, though he said the exact number of people kidnapped during the attacks is not known. Boko Haram has made [advances in recent weeks](http://time.com/3655969/boko-haram-nigeria-advance/ "undefined") with an assault on the multinational military base of Baga in northeast Nigeria, as the group seeks to disrupt the upcoming Presidential elections. The Nigerian government estimated the death toll from the Baga massacre was 150, though [local reports said the death toll was at least 10 times higher.](http://time.com/3665006/boko-haram-nigeria-death-toll-150-2000/ "undefined") \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/18/us-nigeria-violence-cameroon-idUSKBN0KR0R420150118 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3672904/boko-haram-cameroon/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3672904/boko-haram-cameroon/"},"headline":"Suspected Boko Haram Militants Kidnap Around 80 in Cameroon","datePublished":"2015-01-18T19:40:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:40:26.974Z","description":"Over half were children","url":"https://time.com/3672904/boko-haram-cameroon/","keywords":["Cameroon","Nigeria","Boko Haram"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4dd9beee62219a54/69877a99e53aba65e54d71a9/boko-haram1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4dd9beee62219a54/69877a99e53aba65e54d71a9/boko-haram1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Gathering against Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria. 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