A London-based newspaper, The Telegraph, reported on Sunday that Boko Haram had dropped its demand for the release of its top commanders.
It quoted sources as saying that the sect was prepared to start “gradual” release of half of the schoolgirls in coming days.
The newspaper first reported details of Boko Haram’s offer of an imminent prisoner exchange last Tuesday, when sources close to some of the militants’ families said that a senior Islamic cleric from the North would be appointed to mediate on its behalf with the government.
It added that the cleric had since been joined by a former aide to one of the group’s founders. Neither of the negotiators had been named, possibly for their own safety.
While the Federal Government has insisted that it is not willing to enter prisoner swap negotiations, The Telegraph source claimed that dialogue had already been going in secret for several days.
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