Nigeria is ready to talk to Islamist militants Boko Haram for the release of more than 200 abducted schoolgirls, Nigerian Minister has told the BBC.
Minister of Special Duties Tanimu Turaki said if Boko Haram was sincere, its leader Abubakar Shekau should send people he trusted to meet the Jonathan government’s standing committee on reconciliation.
The girls were abducted last month from a school in north-eastern Nigeria.
A video emerged on Monday showing about 130 of them reciting Koranic verses.
In the said video, the terrorist group’s leader expressed his intention to release the abducted school girls only when the Jonathan government release the detained Boka Haram fighters. Shekau however said his group would not negotiate the release of the abducted girls who converted to Islam, claiming “they are part of our community.”
Abubakar Shekau who held a machine gun recited several verses from the Quran supporting the terrorist group’s reasons uncompromising stance to defend Islam and shun democracy, which is not in line with the teachings of Islam.
At least 1,500 people have been killed in Boka Haram-related attacks in Northern Nigeria. Below is the latest video released by Boka Haram [meaning western education is sinful in Hausa language] three weeks after the abductions of more than 200 girls at a government Secondary School Chibok.