Nigeria’s president on Friday replaced top security officials as the West African country grapples with unabated violence in the conflict-hit north and myriad security challenges.
No reason was given but the shake-up comes as the government has denied rumors of a coup plot in the wake of local media reports that at least 20 military officers were arrested in September, including a brigadier general and a colonel.
Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, was also shaken by protests this week as police fired tear gas and arrested dozens of protesters who took to the streets to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra separatist group that seeks independence for Nigeria’s southeastern region.
A wide spectrum of armed groups operate across the country. The Islamic militant Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadi group, this year mounted a major resurgence. The group took up arms in 2009 to fight Western
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