Boko Haram militants burned the Borno state village of Dalwa-Masuba to the ground over the weekend and killed at least 40 residents. Police foiled a car bombing today in Kano; a suicide car bombing yesterday killed at least four people and wounded many more in a mainly Christian neighborhood. Security was stepped up around secondary schools in Benue state after a purported Boko Haram threat to abduct students. Negotiations are reportedly ongoing between Boko Haram and the government for the release of at least 100 kidnapped schoolgirls. At a security summit on May 17, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Chad, and Niger declared “war” on Boko Haram, which President Jonathan called West Africa’s al Qaeda.
