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At least 480 Nigerian soldiers have arrived in Cameroon, fleeing fierce fighting against extremist Boko Haram in Borno State weekend.

The Cameroonian army said the soldiers have been disarmed and are accommodated in schools, the BBC reported Monday.

The Nigerian soldiers are currently in the Cameroonian town of Maroua, about 80km from the Nigerian border, Cameroonian Army spokesperson, Lt. Col Didier Badjek, was quoted by the BBC as saying.

The news came a day after Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, declared Gwosa, a town seized by the sect in Borno State, a part of “Islamic Caliphate”.

Nigerian soldiers have repeatedly complained about their weapons, and have accused their superiors of exposing them to a better armed Boko Haram.

On Monday, the Nigerian government immediately denied the reports that soldiers fled to Cameroon.

The Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikor said the news was untrue.

“I have been briefed by the Chief of Army Staff that this is not the case,” Mr Obanikoro, wrote on Twitter when pressed by another user for comments.

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