Breaking News: Boko Haram Denies Ceasefire Agreement, Says Chibok Girls Are Already Married Off

Boko Haram have denied that they had agreed to a ceasefire in a new video obtained yesterday by AFP, describing the Nigerian government claims as a lie and apparently ruling out future talks.

The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, also claimed the 219 schoolgirls kidnapped from the remote northeast town of Chibok, in Borno state, in April had converted to Islam and been married off.

In it, Shekau mentions the Chibok girls for the first time since a video obtained on May 5, when more than 100 were shown in a rural location dressed in the hijab and reciting verses from the Koran.

Then, the militant leader said many of the girls had converted to Islam but in the latest, he indicated that all of those held had become Muslims.

Human Rights Watch said in a report published this week that Boko Haram was holding upwards of 500 women and young girls and that forced marriage was commonplace in the militant camps.

Vanguard