US plans major border security programme in Nigeria

A top U.S. official for Africa says the United States is preparing to launch a “major” border security programme for Nigeria and its neighbours to combat the increasing number and scope of attacks by Islamic extremists, reports AP.

Thursday’s announcement from assistant secretary Linda Thomas-Greenfield comes amid reports that Nigerian Islamic extremists have begun attacking villages in neighbouring Cameroon.

Thomas Greenfield told a meeting in Abuja of U.S. and Nigerian officials that “the situation on the ground is worsening.”

She said the initiative is designed to improve transparency, governance and effectiveness of key elements of the Nigerian security sector.

Nigerian troops have been accused of killing thousands of innocent civilians in a scorched-earth response to the Boko Haram insurgency, and some soldiers have accused their colleagues of colluding with the extremists.