Nigerian president won’t swap abducted schoolgirls for prisoners, official says

ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s government is ruling out an exchange of more than 270 kidnapped schoolgirls for detained Islamic militants, Britain’s top official for Africa said Wednesday.

President Goodluck Jonathan has “made it very clear that there will be no negotiation with Boko Haram that involves a swap of abducted schoolgirls for prisoners,” said Mark Simmonds, British foreign office minister, in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

He spoke before Nigeria’s Defense Ministry announced that extremists had again attacked the remote northeastern town of Chibok, from which the schoolgirls were abducted on April 15.

The ministry said several insurgents and four soldiers were killed in the firefight Tuesday.

Soldiers who were there told the Associated Press that at least 12 soldiers were killed.