President Buhari meets Chibok girls campaigners

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has for the first time met those campaigning for the release of more than 200 girls abducted by Islamist Boko Haram militants last year.

 Boko Haram is offering to free more than 200 young women and girls kidnapped from a boarding school in the town of Chibok in exchange for the release of militant leaders held by the Nigerian government, a human rights activist told The Associated Press Wednesday.

His predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, declined to meet the Bring Back Our Girls activists.
Mr Buhari promised them that troops for a regional force to fight the militants would be in place by the end of July.
The kidnap of the girls from a school in Chibok sparked global outrage.

The initiative to discuss a deal reopens an offer made last year to former President Goodluck Jonathan to release the 219 students in exchange for 16 Boko Haram detainees, the activist told The Associated Press. The man, who was involved in negotiations with Boko Haram last year and is close to current negotiators, 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 at the negotiating table with the terror group for more than a year, told The Associated Press "another window of opportunity opened" in the last few days. However, he couldn’t elaborate more on the negotiations.
Eno said the latest slew of Boko Haram killings – 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.