Boko Haram Agrees to Ceasefire if Terror Suspects Released

Islamist terrorist sect Boko Haram has agreed to a conditional ceasefire with the Nigerian government, an unnamed source has told local newspapers.

The group said it was poised to stop bombing attacks if the federal government releases all of its arrested members and nominates the president of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, Sheik Ahmed Datti, as a mediator.

There has been no government response so far to the demands.

"The sect is asking the federal government to give them the assurance that their safety and security would be guaranteed," the source told Allafrica.com.

"The sect members have also agreed that once the conditions are met, within four weeks, they will put an end to hostilities."

He warned that a negative response from the government would spark more violence.

In the most recent attacks, alleged Boko Haram members killed seven people in northern Nigeria, police and military officials said.

In one attack, motorbike gunmen targeted a military patrol in the northeastern town of Mubi, killing a soldier, a policeman and three civilians. Three soldiers sustained serious injuries.

In the city of Kano, attackers on motorbikes shot dead two policemen and injured another at a checkpoint.