The Nigerian government has reportedly entered a secret ceasefire agreement with the Boko Haram faction led by Bakura Doro, according to The New Humanitarian, in a development said to have contributed to a relative lull in violence across parts of northeastern Nigeria since June.
The victims spent about 95 days in captivity before their release, which the government described as the result of an intelligence-led operation involving Operation Hadin Kai and the State Security Service (SSS). However, The New Humanitarian reported that negotiations involving government representatives, intermediaries and insurgents preceded the release.
The report also alleged that N5 billion was paid as ransom, although the Nigerian government has denied paying ransom. A similar claim was made by Borno youth leader Samaila Kaigama and later reported by SBM Intelligence. Kaigama was subsequently arrested and arraigned by the SSS over alleged extortion of families of kidn@p victims.
The reported ceasefire is said to have reduced att@cks linked to Doro’s faction, but it does not cover Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which remains active in the Lake Chad region.
“We do not also support the payment of any ransom,” Uba said, adding that the military’s major responsibility is “kinetic (combat) operations.”
Conflict researcher Malik Samuel warned that the arrangement could be only a “temporary, tactical ceasefire” that benefits both sides without changing the course of the insurgency.
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