Nigeria brings in 4th commander in 14 months to lead fight against Boko Haram insurgency

Nigeria has named its fourth commander in 14 months to lead the fight against the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, Reuters reported an army spokesman as saying on Friday. The appointment of Major General A.M. Dikko by President Muhammadu Buhari is “aimed at injecting new hands to further actualize the vision of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai,” the spokesman said. The war, entering its 10th year, shows little sign of ending. It was not clear what had happened to Rogers Nicholas, the commander since December. The government has been saying since December 2015 that Boko Haram has been “technically defeated,” but attacks continue in the northeast. Another group, an ally of the Islamic State militant group that split from Boko Haram in 2016, holds territory around Lake Chad.