About 24 of up to 80 people kidnaped in Cameroon by the Boko Haram sect have been freed.

This occurred as Cameroonian forces chased the insurgents as they headed back to Nigeria, according to Cameroon defence spokesman, Didier Badjeck, a Colonel.

“The Cameroon army was able to free about 24 hostages taken yesterday by Boko Haram in the far north. They were freed as defence forces pursued the attackers who were heading back to Nigeria,” Badjeck said.

Boko Haram had on Sunday kidnapped about 80 people in Cameroon in one of its biggest abductions outside Nigeria, with many of the victims said to be children.

The abductions, which happened in the villages of Maki and Mada near the city of Mokolo in Cameroon’s far north region, have heightened concerns that the insurgents are expanding the scope of their attacks, which recently saw Chad deploy soldiers to help Cameroon combat the insurgency.

While Niger and Cameroon have criticised Nigeria for not doing enough to quell Boko Haram attacks, politicians seem more interested in next month’s general elections, focusing more on campaign than on security issues.