Any pretense that the Nigerian government had reached a cease fire with the Islamist terror group Boko Haram came crashing down with confirmation that the militants killed at least 17 people and abducted dozens in a series of attacks in Borno State.

“Seventeen persons were killed by the assailants after last Thursday's attack on Ndongo community,” said Alhaji Shettima Maina, head of the local government in Mafa district.  Maina added that some 30 to 50 young people had been abducted over the last couple of days.

Earlier, Nigeria announced a ceasefire with Boko Haram and said that it was working out a deal for the return of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from their boarding school in Chibok town in April.  Neighboring Chad also claimed negotiations.  But faced with a resumption of the violence, each government now says the new attacks are the work of dissident factions within the group. 

Boko Haram also carried out attacks in Caeroon and Niger, prompting the leaders of Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Niger and Cameroon to establish a multinational task force to take on the insurgency.