Nigeria sacks army general

The Nigerian military has sacked its commander leading the fight against the militant group Boko Haram in the north of the country.

It follows a string of deadly attacks by the insurgents in recent weeks - including an attack that killed at least 50 people at a mosque in the town of Mubi in Adamawa state.

The Nigerian army has not said why Major General Ibrahim Attahiru was removed.

A Nigerian army spokesman told the BBC that the outgoing commander will now take up another role at Nigeria's defence headquarters in Abuja.

He has been replaced with another general, Nicholas Rogers, who recently led a special joint military and police force in the volatile central region of the country, where ethnic clashes frequently occur.