German kidnapped in Northern Nigeria released in Cameroon

A German kidnapped by Boko Haram Islamist militants in Northern Nigeria's Adamawa State in July has been released following an operation by Cameroon's military and its allies, the government said in a statement on Wednesday.

A Cameroon military aircraft carrying the hostage landed in Yaounde International Airport on Wednesday. A smiling Nitsch Eberhard Robert got out of the plane and shook hands with German and Cameroon government officials.

"I am happy to see all these people who rescued me and made sure I survived," Robert said before he was whisked away by officials.

The German Embassy in Nigeria said he was a teacher undergoing vocational training in Gombi town in Adamawa state when he was kidnapped.

Boko Haram is fighting a bloody campaign to create an Islamic emirate in northern Nigeria. It has also carried out a number of kidnappings in Nigeria and across the border in Cameroon, with reports of ransom being paid for hostages.

Cameroon President Paul Biya, who has deployed special forces along the border to counter increasing Boko Haram incursions, said in the statement that the hostage was freed after a military operation.

"A special operation of the Cameroon armed forces and security services of friendly countries led this night to the release of Nitsch Eberhard Robert, German citizen, abducted in July 2014 in Nigeria by Boko Haram," the statement from Cameroon's presidency said.