Nigeria and Boko Haram 'agree ceasefire and girls' release'

The Nigerian chief of defence staff has announced that 200 kidnapped schoolgirls will be released as part of a ceasefire agreement with the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

They sparked global outrage in April when they kidnapped the girls from their school in the north-eastern town of Chibok in Borno state.

The BBC's Will Ross in Lagos says the news has come as a surprise, as many were unaware that negotiations were taking place.