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On Monday, a new video was released showing hundreds of girls kidnapped by an Islamist extremist group in Nigeria, with new threats to “sell them” and “hold them as slaves” until Boko Haram members are released from prison. If the video proves to be true, it would be the first time anyone has seen the girls since being kidnapped on April 14, from a school in an isolated village, where the Islamist uprising has tormented the authorities for years. In the video, it shows many of the girls dressed in head scarves and long gowns that cover their bodies, only revealing their faces. One of the girls is reciting the opening of the Quran, three swear allegiance to Islam and two say the have converted from Christianity.
A parent of one of the girls said, nobody there had seen the video because there is no electricity, much less Internet Access. The video has a message from the leader of the Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, spoken in Hausa and Arabic. He mentions the worldwide attention the kidnapping has drawn. “Just because we kidnapped these young girls, you are making noise? Allah has blessed most of them with accepting Islam,” he says. “You are making so much noise about Chibok, Chibok, Chibok. Only Allah knows how many women we are holding.”
“There are many verses in the Quran that allows the seizing of slaves. Abduction of slaves is allowed,” he said. “It exists, yes, it exists.” The Boko Haram has created havoc in the region, so schools have been closed for weeks. The reason the girls were at the Chibok government school, was to take an exam and were staying there overnight. Boko Haram was able to overpower the police, and the group was able to seize more than 300 girls.”
Many Nations have offered to help to try and rescue the girls, The United States, France, Britain and Israel. The Nigerian military has fought aggressively against the group but has not made any advances towards the girls return. In the video, the groups leader says, “We will never release them until our brethren that are held in Borno in Yobe, in Kano, in Kaduna, in Abuja, in Lagos and Enugu. Our brethren that are held all over Nigeria.” The Government in Nigeria hasn’t acknowledged negotiations with the group, but a high official in the north said some type of bargaining appears to be going on.
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Image credit: belfasttelegraph.co.uk
