French President Hollande to visit Nigeria next week

French President Francois Hollande will visit Nigeria on May 14 to attend a regional summit focused on fighting the jihadist group Boko Haram. 

He will arrive Nigeria after making a stop at the Central African Republic on May 13 to pledge France’s support for peace efforts in the restive country, his office said Friday.

Hollande will “pledge his support for the peace and the stabilisation of the country,” in the Central African Republic, a presidential spokesman said.

French peacekeepers have been accused of sexually abusing children in the country and hence this is seen as a very sensitive visit. 

There are currently three investigations under way into the accusations against the French troops.

Inter-communal violence between Muslim and Christian militias has killed thousands of people in the Central African Republic since 2013. France deployed a peacekeeping force to its former colony in 2013 to curb the unrest.

The regional summit in Nigeria will also be attended by the United States, Britain and the three countries neighbouring Nigeria which have also been the target of attacks from the jihadists — Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people since 2009, according to World Bank figures.

Two suicide bombers intercepted by the Nigerian Army

The Nigerian Army have intercepted another two female suicide bombers before they could detonate their explosive devices. 

The troops intercepted 2 female suicide bombers almost 100 metres south of Umurari village, outskirts of Maiduguri.

However, one of the suicide bombers detonated her explosive device after she sighted the troops, killing herself instantly. The second bomber was gunned down as she attempted to escape. 

The unexploded Improvised Explosive Device was safely detonated by the combined team of Nigeria Police and Nigerian Army’s Explosive Ordinance Device team. 

There was also no casualty aside the two suicide bombers. 

Boko Haram: Nigerian Army kills 19 terrorists

The Nigeria army has said its troops have killed 19 Boko Haram insurgents, including a kingpin, Ameer of Dalore at a camp in Borno state.

This was disclosed by Sani Usman, Army spokesman, in a statement on Monday. He added that the troops also rescued 67 captives from the sect.

“Elements of 22 Brigade Garrison carried out clearing operation at Dalore camp on Sunday in which they killed 19 Boko Haram terrorists among whom was Ameer of Dalore. The troops also captured 2 AK-47 Rifles, 1 Small Machine Gun and 1 Hand Grenade and recovered 4 pickup vehicles”.

"The troops also rescued 67 hostages from the terrorists. The freed hostages are undergoing screening at Internally Displaced Persons in Dikwa”.

There were no casualties on thr side of the Army. 

“Unfortunately, during the operation the troops Mine Resistant Anti-Personnel (MRAP) vehicle ran into an Improvised Explosive Device and had a damaged tyre," Usman added. 

20 Boko Haram fighters killed by Cameroon soldiers

At least 20 fighters of the Boko Haram Islamic sect have been killed by Cameroonian soldiers on Wednesday. This occurred during a raid in northern Nigeria by a multinational force tasked with stamping out the Islamist militants. 

Cameroon commander General, Jacob Kodji, said the Islamist fighters were killed in the Nigerian town of Djibrila, which is about 10 km (six miles) from the Cameroon border. Colonel Didier Badjeck, a spokesman for Cameroon’s Defense Ministry, added that 12 hostages were freed and ammunitions and armored vehicles seized during the operation.

Boko Haram has waged a six-year campaign of violence and killings which had led to the death of thousands and displacement of millions of others. The North-Eastern part of Nigeria has been the most affected. 

The Boko Haram terrorist group has also carried out attacks in Nigeria's neighboring countries including Cameroon, which has been the target of suicide bombings in recent months. 

Lai Mohammed: Boko Haram degraded and defeated

The minister for information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has dismissed any chance of a resurgence of the Boko Haram sect despite the group's recent attacks on soft targets. 

He insisted that the terrorist group have been degraded and defeated. 

He was speaking during a press conference at the Nigerian capital Abuja on Tuesday and went on to condemn the recent attacks by Boko Haram and commiserated with the families of those who were killed.

‘‘The terrorists remain massively degraded and largely defeated. The recent string of attacks is not an indication that Boko Haram is bouncing back.

‘’During the immediate period after an insurgency has been degraded, the fact that terrorists are dispersed into the community is often followed by an upsurge of terror attacks in the form of suicide bombing and sabotage of critical facilities."

Nigeria may ban the use of hijab - Buhari

President Buhari has admitted that there is a strong chance that hijab could be banned in the country due to the increased incidence of suicide attacks by young girls.

He admitted that if the use of girls clad in hijab for suicide bombing attack continue, banning the outfit was an option that would be considered seriously. He made this statement during his inaugural Presidential media chat in Abuja.

On the Chibok girls, he said efforts were being made to locate them and find them if they were still alive. He noted that the war against Boko Haram is being won as the terrorist group does not have the ability to attack institutions.