Abducted Nigerian schoolgirls to be released in cease-fire agreement, officials say

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP)

Nigeria’s government said Islamic extremists from Boko Haram have agreed to an immediate cease-fire, but many people expressed doubts Friday about a development that could end an insurgency that has killed thousands and left hundreds of thousands homeless in Africa’s most populous nation.

The fate of more than 200 missing schoolgirls abducted by the insurgents six months ago still is being negotiated, Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade told The Associated Press.

However, several media outlets, including the BBC and London's Daily Mail, are reporting at this hour that Boko Haram has agreed to free the girls.

French President Francois Hollande welcomed the “good news” and told a news conference in Paris that the girls’ release “could happen in the coming hours and days.” France has been involved in negotiations that led to the release of several of its citizens kidnapped by Boko Haram in Cameroon.

Neither Hollande nor Nigerian government officials gave any details.

Boko Haram negotiators “assured that the schoolgirls and all other people in their captivity are all alive and well,” Mike Omeri, the government spokesman on the insurgency, told a news conference.

The chief of defense staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, announced the truce Friday and ordered his troops to immediately comply with the agreement.

“Already, the terrorists have announced a cease-fire in furtherance of their desire for peace. In this regard, the government of Nigeria has, in similar vein, declared a cease-fire,” Omeri said.