63-year-old French Hostage escapes From Ansaru Camp in Northern Nigeria

Francis Collomp, A French hostage who was captured 11 months ago by Islamist militants, Ansaru, managed to escape on Saturday while they militants were praying.

According to the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, Olufemi Adenaike, Francis Collomp was held for nine months in Kano. “Two months ago he was taken to Zaria, about two hours away, where he was kept in a house. Yesterday, his captors forgot to lock his cell, and while they were praying, he slipped out and ran.”

Ansaru Releases Video of Kidnapped French National

A video of 63-year-old French National Francis Collomp, who was kidnapped in Rimi, Katsina State on the 19th of December, by the Nigerian Islamist group Ansaru (Ansar al-Muslimeen)  was released on Friday.

Mr Collomp appears in the video wearing a white t-shirt, with an unidentified man holding a weapon in the background. He can be heard calling for "negotiations" for his "safe release."

In another part of the video, the camera focused on an Arabic statement which addresses “the government(s) of France and Nigeria,” according to the translation provided by SITE(a jihadi tracking website).