Overcomed by sorrow, the Deputy Prime Minister has returned to Yaoundé without his wife, child or bodyguard by his side.

Trying his best to put on a brave face, Amadou Ali landed on Wednesday morning with his usual smile after setting off from Maroua and stopping over in Garoua.

During his changeover, he received several solidarity messages from fellow travellers inside the VIP hall of Garoua International Airport following the abduction and murder of members of his family.

"You have a lot of courage, Mr. Vice President. Be strong. It will pass," comforted one passenger. While another said: "It's part of your Ramadan, it's just an extension, Allah will show you the way."

Before leaving the airport, Mr Ali, as usual, opened his wallet to "faroter" almost everyone at the airport, a move that sparked even more sympathy and solidarity around the grief-stricken Deputy PM.

Over 200 Nigerian Boko Haram militants attacked a town in northern Cameroon on Sunday. Mr Ali was at home with his family in Kolofata to celebrate the Ramadan fast when his wife and her maid were kidnapped in what government officials call a “savage attack.”