BEVERLY HILLS, March 26, (THEWILL) – It has been revealed that Nigeria’s government is holding talks with Boko Haram about a possible ceasefire with the ultimate aim of securing a permanent cessation of hostilities.
This was revealed to Reuters by Information Minister, Lai Mohammed,in an emailed statement outlining the background to the release of more than 100 schoolgirls freed last week by the group.
They had been kidnapped on February 19 from the northeastern town of Dapchi, Yobe state, but Boko Haram fighters stunned the residents, last Wednesday, when they drove into the town and released the girls, who said five of their group had died in captivity and one had not been freed.
“Unknown to many, we have been in wider cessation-of-hostility talks with the insurgents for some time now,” he revealed.
Mohammed said a week-long ceasefire, starting on March 19, had been agreed to enable the group to drop off the girls.
THEWILL recalls that the freed girls were returned home to Dapchi on Sunday after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari in the capital, Abuja, on Friday.
“We were able to leverage on the wider talks when the Dapchi girls were abducted,” said Mohammed.
“The ultimate aim is the permanent cessation of hostilities,” he later told Reuters by telephone.
