boko haram extremists are offering to free more than 200 girls
kidnapped from a boarding school in the town of Chibok in
exchange for the release of militant leaders held by the
government, a human rights activist has told The Associated
Press.
The activist said Boko Haram’s current offer is limited to the
girls from the school in northeastern nigeria whose mass
abduction in April 2014 ignited worldwide outrage and a
campaign to “Bring Back Our Girls” that stretched to the White
House.
The new initiative reopens an offer made last year to the
government of former President Goodluck Jonathan to release
the 219 students in exchange for 16 boko haram detainees,
the activist said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because
he was not authorized to talk to reporters on this sensitive
issue.
Fred Eno, an apolitical Nigerian who has been negotiating with
Boko Haram for more than a year, told the AP that “another
window of opportunity opened” in the last few days,
though he could not discuss details.
He said the recent slew of Boko Haram bloodletting — some
350 people killed in the past nine days — is consistent with
past ratcheting up of violence as the militants seek a stronger
negotiating position.
Eno said the 5-week-old administration of President
Muhammadu Buhari offers “a clean slate” to bring the
militants back to negotiations that had become poisoned by
the different security agencies and their advice to Jonathan.
Presidential adviser Femi Adesina said on Saturday that
Nigeria’s government “will not be averse” to talks with Boko
Haram.
