FG calls off Deal to Swap abducted girls with Boko Haram suspects held

The Federal Government has called off a deal with Boko Haram to return some of the abducted School girls in Exchange for the release of members of the group in custody, the BBC reports

The BBC also reports that an intermediary Boko Haram leaders met earlier this month and visited the location in North-East Nigeria where the girls were being held.

A deal was almost reached to set some of the girls for free in Exchange for the release of 100 Boko Haram members detained.

But the Government canceled the planned agreement shortly before the swap will take place.

The reasons for the withdrawal are unclear.

It came just after Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan participated in a meeting in Paris hosted by President Francois Hollande from France where leaders said they had agreed a "global and regional action plan" against Boko Haram.

The President of France, who hosted the Summit, Hollande said regional powers had promised to share intelligence and to coordinate action against the group.

The Paris Summit brought together Presidents Francois Hollande, Goodluck Jonathan and their counterparts from Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

After that, said Mr Hollande participants were agreed on a "global and regional action plan".

He said this involved "co-ordinating intelligence, sharing information ... border surveillance, in particular a military presence around Lake Chad and the capacity to intervene in case of danger".

Cameroon President Paul Biya said: "We are here to declare the war to Boko Haram". Idriss Deby of Chad said: it would be "total war".