Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has admitted that he has failed to end insecurity in the country, a promise he made when he was elected in 2015.
In a TV address, he said the fight against Islamist militants in the north had had the unintended consequence of spreading violence to other areas.
Mr Buhari extended his “heartfelt condolences” to families of victims.
The Boko Haram Islamist group, which began its insurgency in 2009, has stepped up attacks in recent months.
After his election in 2015, President Buhari said the group had been “technically defeated” by an army offensive.
But there have been dozens of attacks in the north-east since the start of the year, and a number of military bases, as well as towns, have been overrun by the militants. Weapons, food and medicines have also been looted.