Nigeria Will Not Exchange Prisoners for Kidnapped Girls

At a press conference yesterday, British foreign office minister Mark Simmonds told reporters that Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan will not exchange prisoners for the more than 270 school girls abducted by Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram. In a video released earlier this week, the extremist group’s leader said that they may be willing to free the girls if the government would release several fellow militants currently being detained. Boko Haram has also threatened to sell the girls as child brides and forced many to convert to Islam. The U.S. and Britain are among several foreign governments now assisting Nigerian officials in finding the girls, who were abducted in a brazen attack by the extremist group a month ago. In 2014 alone, Boko Haram—whose name translates to “western education is sinful—has killed more than 1,500 people in attacks targeting Christians, civilians and even Muslims who oppose their radical ideology …