Ankara saves Cameroonian footballer's family from Boko Haram

The family of Cameroon’s Stephane M’bia, a summer signing for Trabzonspor, is in safe hands after the football club requested that the Turkish Foreign Ministry bring the player’s relatives to Turkey following a bloody attack on their village by Boko Haram.

“I will not forget your help for the rest of my life,” M’bia said after learning that his mother, father and two siblings had arrived in Turkey following a rescue operation. “I will pay back this favor on the field.” M’bia requested the club’s help after seeing pictures of Boko Haram’s bloody assault on the town. The ministry officials first moved his family to a safe zone, before finalizing the visa procude and bringing them Turkey late on Aug. 4.

Cameroon’s M’bia last month moved from Sevilla to Trabzonspor on a three-year contract. As around 12,000 Nigerians said to have been expelled from Cameroon after fleeing Boko Haram jihadists have begun returning home, authorities in Abuja said Aug. 5. Jihadists killed at least six people and kidnapped more than 50 in a raid on a village in northern Cameroon, according to a soldier sent to the scene.