Boko Haram leader indicates he would swap kidnapped schoolgirls for prisoners

A video of about 130 of the girls kidnapped from a Nigerian school last month was released today by Islamist militant group Boko Haram. The clip, which was first obtained by AFP, shows Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau brandishing an automatic rifle and calling for the release of his imprisoned comrades in exchange for the girls. "We will never release them until our brethren are released," he says, suggesting he would be open to a deal for the girls' release.

The 17-minute video also included a portion where the girls are seen in an outdoor area chanting verses from the Koran in unison. Shekau claimed the teenagers had converted to Islam and had not been harmed.

There is no indication of when or where the video was recorded, notes BBC News.

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