The extremists seized 276 girls who had gathered for science exams at the Government Girls Secondary School in the northeast town of Chibok.
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The United Nations (UN) said yesterday that 2,000 and 7,000 women and girls are living in abduction and sex slavery in the north eastern region ravaged by insurgents, describing the plight of the 219 Chibok schoolgirls who were abducted two years ago as a major conflict that is affecting the North-Eastern communities.
The video, obtained by CNN and showing 15 girls in robes identifying themselves, is believed to have been made in December during negotiations between the government and parties claiming to represent Boko Haram.
CNN reported that the video was sent in December to negotiators trying to free the girls.
Why did Boko Haram kidnap the girls?
As the two minute clip comes to an end, one of the girls, Naomi Zakaria, makes a final, scripted, appeal to whoever is watching, urging the Nigerian authorities to help reunite the girls with their families.
Since January, two parents of missing girls have received phone calls from their abducted daughters’ cellphone numbers, siad Yakubu Nkeki, chairman Abducted Chibok Girls Parents Movement for Rescue.
He said the president also thanked all Nigerians, religious and civil organisations and the worldwide community for their continued sympathy and support as well as prayers for the return of the Chibok girls. The kidnapping of the girls became a political issue in Nigeria with the government and military criticised for their handling of the incident and failing to track down the girls.
One mother, whose daughter was not among those shown in the video said as she watched, “I didn’t see my daughter, but I now have hope that she is alive”.
“They were definitely our daughters… all we want is for the government to bring back our girls”, said Mrs Galang.
Mothers of some of the kidnapped girls identified their daughters in the video, according to CNN.
But he declined to comment directly on the state of talks with Boko Haram, which has previously said it would release the girls only in exchange for captured fighters in Nigerian prisons. Even though the country’s military has been able to dislodge militants from the cities and towns, a search-and-rescue operation in the forest is thought to be far more hard. Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan cancels his first visit to the village from which the girls were taken amid “security fears”.President Muhammadu Buhari today assured parents and relations of the abducted Chibok school girls that the Federal Government and security agencies will continue to explore all possible options for the safe return of the girls.
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Unicef also found that Boko Haram is increasingly using children to act as “suicide bombers”.
