Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged setbacks in the fight against Boko Haram, as the group launches fresh attacks in the northeast.
In a recorded interview broadcast on TV, President Buhari conceded that government troops have come under pressure from Boko Haram.
The 76-year-old former army general who became military ruler after ousting the elected government in a coup in 1983, was elected in 2015 on a promise to end the Islamist insurgency, which has killed more than 27 thousand people since 2009 and left one point eight million homeless.
But as he seeks a second term next month, a wave of attacks, including some against military bases, has undermined his repeated claim that the group is virtually defeated.