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| Boko Haram denies ceasefire claim by Nigeria's government | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Boko Haram has denied claims by Nigeria's government that it has agreed to a ceasefire and will release more than 200 abducted schoolgirls. | |
| The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau, said the girls had converted to Islam and been married off since being taken. | |
| Nigeria's army announced a ceasefire with the militants on 17 October, saying the girls would soon be freed. | |
| But violence has continued since news of the alleged truce, with a bomb blast killing several on Friday. | |
| Boko Haram has been fighting an insurgency since 2009, with some 2,000 civilians reportedly killed this year. | |
| The Islamist group sparked global outrage in April by abducting 219 schoolgirls from the remote north-eastern town of Chibok, in Borno state. | |
| Their continued captivity has led to criticism of the Nigerian government's efforts to secure their release. | |
| Hopes were raised earlier this month when Nigeria's chief of defence staff, Alex Badeh, announced a truce with the group. | |
| "They've assured us they have the girls and they will release them," he said. "I am cautiously optimistic." | |
| But in a video released on Friday, Abubakar Shekau said: "We have not made ceasefire with anyone. We did not negotiate with anyone. It's a lie. | |
| "We will not negotiate. What is our business with negotiation? Allah said we should not," he added. |