– US security warning –
Unprecedented security has been put in place for the World Economic Forum meeting, but the kidnapping and twin attacks in Abuja have added to the long-standing doubts over Nigeria’s ability to contain the insurgency.
On Friday, the United States issued a security warning to its citizens in Nigeria to avoid two Sheraton hotels in the financial capital, Lagos, because of an unspecified threat.
US Secretary of State John Kerry vowed on Saturday that Washington would do “everything possible” to help Nigeria deal with Boko Haram militants and bring the children home.
Boko Haram has been waging an increasingly deadly insurgency in Nigeria’s north that has claimed more than 1,500 lives this year alone.
The violence has largely been confined to three northeastern states – Borno, Yobe and Adamawa -which have been under a state of emergency since May last year.
Previous attacks have targeted government offices and military installations as well as Christian churches and schools teaching a so-called Western curriculum.