Suspected Boko Haram abductors holding more than 50 residents in Borno State indicate they are willing to negotiate the release of the captives, according to representatives of the victims’ families. Hassan Yati, spokesperson for the families, says the abductors contact families and provide proof the captives are alive, including a photograph and voice notes. He says the number of people in captivity is above the figure the families are publicly calling for, and that the abductors have signaled readiness to engage.
Yati adds that the abductors ask the Nigerian government to reach out through a journalist selected as a mediator, whose name he is withholding. He says the demand does not necessarily involve paying a ransom, contrasting the situation with other past abductions. Instead, he says the families understand the government can respond in line with the abductors’ outlined approach.
Separately, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters says efforts are ongoing to secure the safe release of 42 pupils abducted from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira Uba Local Government Area on May 15.
