A French engineer held hostage by Islamist militants in northern Nigeria for almost a year has escaped, President Francois Hollande said on Sunday.

Hollande gave no details about the escape, but a Nigerian police official told Reuters that Francis Collomp had slipped out of his cell and managed to find a motorcycle taxi which took him to a police station.

Collomp, who is in his sixties, was seized when about 30 gunmen stormed his compound on 19 December in the northern Nigerian town of Rimi, close to the Niger border where al-Qaida's North African wing, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), operates.

"The president expresses his gratitude to the Nigerian authorities, with whom French authorities have collaborated closely on this decisive action," Hollande's office said in a statement on Sunday.

Arriving in Israel for a state visit, Hollande later said Collomp had freed himself and that the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, who arrived in Israel with Hollande, was flying to Nigeria to receive him.

Nigerian police commissoner Olufemi Adenaike said Collomp had been moved to the town of Zaria, in northern Nigeria, in the past three months and had fled from there. A diplomatic source told Reuters that Collomp was weak and had lost a lot of weight but was not injured.

Collomp's wife, Anne-Marie, told French radio that Hollande had called her to inform her her husband was free. "I have heard that he has escaped, I say bravo my husband, bravo," she said.

In September, Collomp – an engineer at French renewable energy firm Vergnet – asked for help in a three-minute video posted on a jihadi website.

Ansaru, the militant group that kidnapped him, said soon after his abduction that he had been taken in retaliation for France's military action against jihadi insurgents in Mali and its ban on wearing the full-face veil.

Britain has put Ansaru on its official "terrorist group" list, saying it is aligned with al-Qaida and was behind the kidnapping of a British national and a Italian who were killed last year during a failed rescue attempt.

The group is thought to have loose ties to the better-known Islamist militant sect Boko Haram, which has killed thousands in a four year insurgency focused mostly on Nigerian security forces, religious targets and politicians.

Collomp's release comes just weeks after four French hostages kidnapped in Niger by AQIM, were released on 29 October after three years in captivity.

Seven other French nationals are being held hostage in Syria, Mali and Nigeria, including French priest Georges Vandenbeusch, who was kidnapped in northern Cameroon last week and is believed to be held in Nigeria.

Source - Guardian.co.uk

It is believed Boko Haram employees were under-staffed due to 225 members travelling to Anambra State to provide security for the State elections over the weekend.

Buhari people.....

After paying ransom..

Atleast they should know dat there are good ppl in Nigeria. Kudos to the French Scofield, bike man n d police. It is well with Nigeria

I'm happy for them

Only God saves but cme to tink of ot in his 60's he escapd frm a TERRORIST kidnap, dats if d story is true cos it luks all coind up. It just reminds me of airforce1, wat if Jonathan was dat president. God forbid o.
lesson: keep fit

I'm not being fooled sha. Which Boko haram hierarchy member SSS trade for the French man freedom na wetin make den tell us be that.

Lucky dude

Some people are perennially daft.

Why did he escape
He would have picked a gun and shoot them in the raised butts,

sakaguchi: Why did he escape
He would have picked a gun and shoot them in the raised butts,

hope no ransom was paid secretly

Hollande thunder fire ur mouth, u guys are d ones funding dis terrorists, u paid ransom, nw ur cookin up dis silly story, bloody t w a t

.

ednut1: Hollande thunder fire ur mouth, u guys are d once funding dis terrorists, u paid ransom, nw ur cookin up dis silly story, bloody Arrow

*sighs

Is this some kind of Jack Bauer flick?

ednut1: Hollande thunder fire ur mouth, u guys are d once funding dis terrorists, u paid ransom, nw ur cookin up dis silly story, bloody Arrow

ONCE OR ONES?? be fast before they descend on you

Vock:
ONCE OR ONES?? be fast before they descend on you

jst woke up den ni o, my eyes no see am hehehe

.

This is what is called been smart

Happy for him.
Sharp guy... No dulling.

and fashola is there banning okada

A French engineer held hostage by Islamist militants in northern Nigeria for almost a year has escaped, President Francois Hollande said on Sunday.


The Nigerian Police were the first to report the issue and issue a press release not President Hollande.
Give credit where it is due and stop quoting foreign media on happenings in Nigeria.

Abi dem secretly pay ransom come cook dis tory?

Saw it on tv. The Police Commissioner said that the terrorist were engaged in a gun battle with the army. This distracted them and they left the hostage's cell door open, which gave him the opportunity to escape. He later saw an okada rider who gave him a ride to the police station.

naptu2: Saw it on tv. The Police Commissioner said that the terrorist were engaged in a gun battle with the army. This distracted them and they left the hostage's cell door open, which gave him the opportunity to escape. He later saw an okada rider who gave him a ride to the police station.

And the yeye ransom paying French President want to take all the credit without paying due respect to our gallant JTF and C-JTF who are facing the terrorists bullets.

The French govt under NATO armed and backed Libyan terrorists to remove Gaddafi and those arms are all over Africa and they acted as mercenary airforce for alqaeda in Libya. All those French and NATO supplied and stolen Libyan weapons are being used even as I am typing by rebel fighters in Tripoli Libya and in Mali and by Boko Haram to commit murder.

Next thing their World Bank and IMF will claim that there are 100 million destitutes in Nigeria. I think NLers should start posting pictures of destitutes in US, UK, France and European Union

naptu2: Saw it on tv. The Police Commissioner said that the terrorist were engaged in a gun battle with the army. This distracted them and they left the hostage's cell door open, which gave him the opportunity to escape. He later saw an okada rider who gave him a ride to the police station.

So u trust police abi? Ok o

Ok

lincolnj88: Buhari people.....

Don't be silly!

ednut1: jst woke up den ni o, my eyes no see am hehehe

A confirmation that you are one of em jobless nairalanders whose job is senseless online rantings. Get something doing my friend

.

Don Demu: Abi dem secretly pay ransom come cook dis tory?

Na lie d no cook d tori,na boil dem boil am