Nigeria dismisses reports of Boko Haram attack plan

The Nigerian government has dismissed reports that Islamist group Boko Haram was planning to attack the country's southwestern states.

Col. Rabe Abubakar, spokesperson for the Nigerian Defense Headquarters, said in a statement on Sunday that the reports were baseless.

Abubakar said the military in recent operations in the restive northeastern region had degraded Boko Haram insurgents, stressing it was not possible for them to coordinate attacks "in any part of the country."

He said the arrest of some "ringleaders" of the group had weakened its capability to wage coordinated attacks.

He urged the public to be wary of suspicious individuals or groups and to report them to security agencies immediately.

In October, Nigeria's security forces foiled terror attempts by suspected Boko Haram members in the southwestern city of Lagos, the country's economic hub. At least 45 were arrested as plotters.

In August, 19 suspected Boko Haram members were arrested in Lagos, Enugu, Plateau, Kano and Gombe states. They were said to be commanders and front-line members of the group who had played active roles in its campaign of violence in the northeast.

Boko Haram, active in northern Nigeria, started its insurgency in 2009 in an effort to establish an Islamic state.

It has killed some 13,000 people and kidnapped hundreds, with surrounding countries such as Niger, Chad and Cameroon affected.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has given a December deadline for the army to wipe out the militants. Endit