Nigerian militant group Boko Haram has published a video apparently showing recent footage of dozens of schoolgirls kidnapped two years ago and saying some of them have been killed in airstrikes.
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The BringBackOurGirls group and the parents of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls had on Sunday demanded that the government heed the call for a swap following the video of the girls released by the sect on Sunday.
Buhari has in the past suggested the possibility of amnesty in exchange for the safe release of the girls, some 50 or 60 of whom have escaped, according to the BBC.
“They should know that their children are still in our hands”, he said in the video posted on YouTube that appeared to show some women injured after an air strike. They say most of the girls are dead but mine is alive.
Wanted citizen journalist, Ahmad Salkida has declared his readiness to return to Nigeria to answer questions regarding his association with the extremist group, Boko Haram.
“There is no doubt that these individuals have links with Boko Haram terrorists and have contacts with them”, he said.
A veiled girl could be seen holding a baby.
The #BringBackOurGirls group has sharply criticized the federal government for failing to secure the release of the Chibok girls.
The militant in the video says that 40 of the girls were married off and some of the rest of the girls were killed in airstrikes.
Kanu Yakubu, speaking to reporters in Abuja said, “When I heard her voice, I realised she is my daughter”. This is likely to avoid a repeat of an embarrassing hoax a few months after the girls were kidnapped which saw the government negotiate with the wrong people.
The militant in Sunday’s video said about 40 of the girls have been “married” and none will be freed until the government releases Boko Haram fighters in its custody. “But we are being extremely careful because the situation has been compounded by the split in the leadership of Boko Haram”. They accompany ground raids that authorities say have freed thousands of captives, though none of the Chibok girls, who are thought to be held deep in a forested area.
More than 20,000 people have been killed in the 7-year-old Islamic uprising that has spread from Nigeria to neighbouring countries and driven 2.2 million people from their homes.
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On the planned match by the BringBakcOurGirls to Aso Rock presidential villa, the minister said the government appreciated the group’s commitment to the return of these girls but “there are few things we need to do behind the scene”.
