ABUJA

Nigeria has sealed a cease-fire deal with the Boko Haram militant group that also calls for the safe return of over 200 schoolgirls abducted over six months ago in exchange for the release of detained group members, a government official announced Friday.

"We can confirm… that there have been contacts between the government and representatives of Boko Haram," Mike Omeri, coordinator of the government-run National Information Center, told a Friday media briefing in Abuja.

"The discussions are essentially in relation to the general insecurity in the northeast and also the need to rescue all captives of the terrorists," he said.

"All captives of the terrorists, including the [abducted] students of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, are to be released [as part of the cease-fire deal]," Omeri asserted.

The spokesman added: "From the discussions, they [Boko Haram] indicated their desire for and willingness to discuss and resolve all associated issues."

According to Omeri, the cease-fire was negotiated on Nigeria's behalf by Chadian President Idris Derby and a Boko Haram representative identified as Amodu Danladi.

The cease-fire took effect on Friday, according to the spokesman.

Omeri said the government had received assurances "that the schoolgirls, and all other people in their captivity, are alive and well," but stopped short of confirming or denying reports that many of them were pregnant or dead.

"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," he added.

"Finally, this is to assure Nigerians that the greater goal of this process is to ensure the return of normalcy in the land, especially in parts of the country troubled by the activities of terrorists," Omeri said.

-Commitment-

Omeri said the latest developments confirmed President Goodluck Jonathan's commitment to restoring peace and stability in the country's troubled northeast.

"President Jonathan's commitment to peace and security in Nigeria – and indeed all parts of the world – has been the driving force of all engagements and measures taken since the war on terror began," said Omeri.

The cease-fire deal is likely to be a shot in the arm for Jonathan, whose yet-to-be announced reelection bid faces tough questions on insecurity and alleged government corruption, an Anadolu Agency correspondent said.

Elections are slated for early next year.

Boko Haram has waged a violent, five-year insurgency in Nigeria's northeastern region, where more than 13,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed and the local economy brought to its knees.

The group has been officially outlawed in Nigeria, Turkey and the United States.

The Nigerian army last month announced the death of a man it said had been mimicking the "long dead" Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram's erratic spiritual leader.

Shekau, who had been known for his violence and ruthlessness, succeeded Mohammed Yusuf, the man believed to have founded the organization, which claims it wants to apply Islamic Law in the northern region.

In April, the group made international headlines after abducting over 200 schoolgirls in northeastern Borno State. Only 57 of the girls have since managed to escape their captors.

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