TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday departed Abuja for N’Djamena, Chad, to preside over the summit of heads of states and governments of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).

In a statement on Thursday, Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, said the president will be meeting with five African presidents to review the security situation in the region and intensify efforts to curb insurgency.

According to him, the presidents would discuss and adopt measures to enhance the capacity of the multinational joint task force (MNJTF) to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency and other security challenges.

“The presidents of the LCBC member countries of Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and the Central African Republic have been invited to attend the meeting,” he said.

“The President of Benin Republic, a troops-contributing country has also been invited to attend.

“The MNJTF and the national operations of the affected countries have appreciably degraded the capacity of Boko Haram terrorists, although the insurgents still retain the capacity to attack isolated targets in desperate search for supplies.”

The Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) faction of the Boko Haram attacked 157 task force battalion of the Nigerian army in Metele, Borno state, two weeks ago.

There are reports that over 100 soldiers were killed but the Nigerian army said it lost 39 soldiers in the attacks while 53 soldiers were wounded.