Boko Haram attacks Nigerian army base, five soldiers killed — Military source

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria: Five Nigerian soldiers and more than 15 Boko Haram fighters were killed when the jihadists attacked an army base in the remote northeast where the group has been fighting for an Islamic state, a military source said on Sunday.

Boko Haram attacked an army brigade in Buni Yadi in Yobe state late on Saturday, an army spokesman said by text message, without giving a casualty figure.

“Five soldiers lost their life in the attack though more than 15 Boko Haram were killed by troops,” the military source said.

Several explosions could be heard on Sunday in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state where Boko Haram started its seven-year insurgency that has killed about 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million.

Officials or medics were not immediately available to give a casualty figure. — Reuters

Buhari said his government was committed to finding the rest of the more than 200 schoolgirls who were abducted almost three years ago from the northeastern town of Chibok.

Only two dozen have been found or rescued since they were seized in April 2014, some of whom had babies in captivity.

“We are hopeful that many more will still return,” Buhari said. “The tears never dry, the ache is in our hearts.

“Our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to.”

In the capital Abuja, Bring Back Our Girls campaigners were preparing to march to the presidential villa later Sunday.

“We just can’t forget the 195 of

Our hearts will leap for joy, as more and more of our daughters return. It is a goal we remain steadfastly committed to. Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian President

them that are still there,” Aisha Yesufu, a representative of the group, told AFP.

“We have to look and bring them back home,” Yesufu said.

“They are citizens. If president Buhari’s daughter was taken, would he just stand back? They are as Nigerian as his own daughter.”

Last week, the Nigerian army said it had rescued another Chibok girl, Rakiya Abubakar, along with her six-month- old baby. Another two schoolgirls have been found in the past year by troops.

In October, 21 Chibok girls were released by Boko Haram after negotiations with the Nigerian government brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government.

The release was hailed as a breakthrough that would lead to the recovery of remaining girls in captivity. — AFP