Though, it has been difficult to establish communication with members of Boko Haram, a former negotiator with the sect, Shehu Sani, has given hints on conditions that could guarantee the release of abducted students.
He said the sect plans to exchange the 300 kidnapped schoolgirls for their ?comrades? that are imprisoned in Nigeria.
“Nearly 300 schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria by Islamist militants could be released in exchange for jailed comrades”, he reportedly said.
He supported his claim with the video recently released by Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, where he threatened to sell the girls as slaves.
He noted that the video showed that the terrorists planned to use the abductees as ?bargaining chips? rather than kill them.
Sani said he believed the footage, released on Monday, was an attempt to persuade the Nigerian government into a prisoner trade.
?From my knowledge of the group, to have him saying that he will sell them is proof that this issue can be resolved. The group is most likely to want to attach some kind of conditions to the girls being released, such as the freeing of some of their own prisoners,? he added.
