Separately, an attempted suicide attack was foiled outside a political office elsewhere in the embattled northeast, raising fears of growing unrest in the run-up to Nigeria’s general election, which has been postponed by six weeks.
The Boko Haram uprising has raged for six years, killing more than 13,000 people, and the sect has in recent months increasingly posed a regional threat.
Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger have since the start of this month launched an unprecedented joint effort to crush the uprising, raising hopes that this new cooperation could turn the tide.
In a nationally broadcast interview on Wednesday, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan vowed that “serious advances will be made” over the next six weeks, meaning security will have improved by the new election day, March 28.
“But I’m not saying (we will) wipe out Boko Haram,” he added.
The insurgents have proved resilient throughout the conflict and despite initial claims of success, few believe the regional military teamwork can contain the conflict in the short term.
Vanguard
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