Militants kill at least 23 civilian force members in northern Nigeria

At least 23 members of Nigeria’s civilian joint task force were killed in separate attacks by militants and an armed kidnapping gang in the north, Reuters reported yesterday.

In northeast Borno state, suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters used an improvised explosive device to blow up a vehicle carrying the Civilian Joint Tast Force (CJTF) team, the news agency added.

The CJTF was formed in 2013 to protect communities in the northeast and help the military fight Boko Haram and later its offshoot ISWAP. The force has since been extended to other northern states grappling with armed kidnapping gangs.