Nigeria's Boko Haram blamed for blowing up bridge

Militant Islamists are suspected to have blown up a major bridge in north-eastern Nigeria, disrupting transport links with Cameroon, residents said.

Cars and lorries loaded with goods are stranded on the highway unable to cross the Ngala Bridge, they told the BBC.



The night-time attack shows the growing threat posed by militant group Boko Haram, a BBC correspondent says.

On Tuesday, the chief of army staff said some soldiers had deserted because they were scared of Boko Haram.


The BBC's Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi in the capital, Abuja, says his comments give credence to the view that the military is demoralised, lacking the motivation or firepower to tackle Boko Haram.

Nigerian soldiers stand guard at the offices of the state-run Nigerian Television Authority in Maiduguri, Nigeria - June 2013 The military is said to lack the equipment to fight the insurgents


This is despite the fact that Nigeria's army is the biggest in West Africa, and fought rebel groups in countries such as Sierra Leone to help end brutal civil wars, he says.

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency more than a year ago in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, saying he would give the military extra powers to fight Boko Haram.

However, the insurgency has become more deadly since then.

New York-based Human Rights Watch says at least 2,053 civilians have been killed in an estimated 95 attacks during the first half of 2014, compared with 3,600 deaths in the first four years of the conflict.

BBC Africa