Nigeria seems to have accepted the fact that the late President Idriss Déby's son has taken power in Chad - something rejected by the country's opposition.

Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, a 37-year-old four career soldier also known as "General Kaka", will lead a transitional military council until elections are held in 18 months.

"We don't want a power vacuum," Nigeria's Minister for Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama told BBC Focus on Africa presenter Esau Williams.

This is because Chadian troops play a key role in peacekeeping missions and counter-insurgency operations around the continent.

The headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force fighting Boko Haram are also in Chad's capital, N'Djamena.