A 'faction' of Boko Haram wants to negotiate

The Nigerian Government disclosed that they have received an offer of peace talks from a group that claimed to be a 'faction' of the Islamic group, Boko Haram.

Garba Shehu, a spokesman for president Muhammadu Buhari, said that efforts are underway to check if the group is authentic and has a mandate to negotiate.

The Nigerian president has already indicated that he is, in principle, not opposed to discussions with Boko Haram.

Alleged members of the group have killed more than 600 people in a wave of attacks in Nigeria since the president was inaugurated in late May.

Muhammadu Buhari will be in Cameroon, which was recently hit by three bomb attacks attributed to Boko Haram around the same time, on Wednesday.