The Late 5: Boko Haram overrun military base in Borno, kills 3 soldiers; Nigeria now has 165m active telephone lines – NCC | Other top stories

These are the stories that drove the conversation today:

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday arrived in N’Djamena, Chad for consultations with Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and to review the security situation in the region, as well as intensify efforts to end the insurgency.

According to a tweet on the official handle of the Presidency, President Buhari who is the chairman of the summit of Heads of State and government of the LCBC had called for the meeting following an upsurge of Boko Haram insurgents leading to the death of many Nigerian soldiers.

The one-day meeting is also expected to look at the impact on the areas affected by Boko Haram insurgency and adopt measures to enhance the capacity of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to meet the challenges of securing the areas.


Meanwhile, hours before President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Maiduguri, North East Nigeria,on Wednesday fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a faction of Boko Haram are reported to overpowered a military base on Tuesday in Cross-Kauwa village, Borno near Lake Chad, killing three soldiers, AFP reports

According to the news agency, military and civilian sources said the ISWAP fighters driving in several trucks fitted with anti-aircraft guns attacked the base in Cross-Kauwa village around 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday and engaged troops in a 3 hour-long gunfight, forcing the troops to withdraw to the garrison town of Monguno, 18 kilometres (11 miles) away while others stopped at another base in nearby Kekeno which Boko Haram has made several failed attempts to overrun in recent weeks.

“We lost three soldiers in the fight,” said a military officer who asked not to be named. “The soldiers fought the terrorists but were overpowered and had to withdraw from the base,” he added.


The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Thursday said active telephone lines in Nigeria as at October 2018 is now 165,239,443, increasing from the previous 162,058,918 recorded in September.

According to information posted by the commission in its Monthly Subscriber/Operator Data published on its website, of the 165,239,443 active numbers, the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) network recorded 164,865,417 in the month under review while the Fixed Wireless Network retained the 26,865 subscribers it had in September.

According to the regulatory body, the lines increased by 3,180,525 from the 162,058,918 recorded in September.


Governor Rochas Okorocha has said that the post primary election crisis rocking the the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo, is irreconcilable. stressing that everything has been done to resolve the issues but to no avail.

Okorocha who disclosed this on Thursday in Owerri, while speaking to Kano governor, Abdullahi Ganduje who led members of the APC Reconciliation Committee to the state, said that he honoured the meeting because of his relationship with the Committee Chairman, Governor Ganduje and former Akwa Ibom governor, Senator Godswill Akpabio, stressing that the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, stole the mandate of the people and gave it away for reasons best known to him.

Let me make bold to say that this not about the people here but across the breadth of the state,  the name you here is Uche Nwosu.  But to me against all the speculations that I am leaving APC is not true, all the State and Local Government Executive is intact. We have done everything to resolve the issue but it appears to have gone beyond repair. The situation at hand has gone beyond what we can manage,” he added.


The Federal government has frozen the bank accounts of suspects being tried in court over allegations of corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), TheCable reports.

According to the news medium, a former minister who was affected is quoted have said “I issued a cheque of N250,000 to a friend and it was turned down. When I called my account officer, he invited me for a meeting, where I was told there is a ‘post no debit’ instruction on all my accounts because of the executive order. They told me I am not the only one affected. All persons undergoing trial are affected.”

The development is believed to part of the implementation of the Executive Order No. 6 on the “preservation of suspicious assets connected with corruption and other relevant offences” signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2018.


And stories from around the world:

The United States on Thursday displayed pieces of what it said were Iranian weapons deployed to militants in Yemen and Afghanistan, a move by President Donald Trump’s administration to pressure Tehran to curb its regional activities. (Reuters)


Canada imposed sanctions on 17 Saudis officials said are linked to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the foreign ministry announced on Thursday. (Al Jazeera)


US President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in relation to the Russia inquiry.

Cohen admitted misleading lawmakers on talks during the presidential race about a Trump property deal in Moscow. (BBC)


European leaders rebuffed calls from Ukraine for greater support against Russia on Thursday, after Kiev urged NATO to send ships into waters disputed with Moscow.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Kiev to be “sensible” following the request from President Petro Poroshenko, just hours after the European Union failed to agree to threaten new sanctions against Moscow. (AFP)


Scottish political parties will unite against the Conservatives, the party of British Prime Minister Theresa May, in a rare joint front to show their anger at her plan to leave the European Union. (Reuters)

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