by ‘Jola Sotubo

 

 

A new video released by Boko Haram to AFP is believed to show some of the abducted girls clad in hijabs in what seems to be a camp of the sect. The girls, numbering over 200, were kidnapped from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno on April 14.

[READ: #BringBackOurGirls: ‘Our teachers locked us in and ran away’ – Chibok schoolgirl reveals]

 

The leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau is said to have spoken during the video claiming that all the girls had converted to Islam. Shekau is said to have stated that he would not release the girls until all imprisoned Boko Haram members had been released. A snippet of the video and some screenshots of it were made available.

Sky News reports:

 

In the video, Abubakar Shekau speaks for 17 minutes before showing what he says are about 130 of the girls, wearing full-length hijabs and praying in an undisclosed rural location.

None of the girls appear to be visibly distressed, but appears as if they are clearly under duress.

Sky’s Special Correspondent Alex Crawford who has spoken to a father of one of the kidnapped girl says he does not want the government to release Boko Haram prisoners in exchange his daughter.

He told her: “Its not right. They’ll do it again.” Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau has threatened to sell the girls “at the market” and some are believed to have already been taken out of the country. The search for the girls remains centred on the huge Sambisa forest, which is three times the size of Wales.

 

Watch the video HERE