But a recent report published by the United Nations said the government lied. To free the girls, Mohammed said the only demand made by the insurgents was a temporary ceasefire. The United Nations, however, said in a recent report submitted to the Security Council Committee that the Nigerian government paid “large ransom” to ISWAP. Mohammed doubled down on his earlier position, saying the UN’s claim was a “mere conjecture”. “It is not enough to say that Nigeria paid a ransom, little or huge,” Mohammed said in a statement on Thursday.

Source: The Guardian August 16, 2018 21:49 UTC