A video apparently showing a group of Nigerian girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram two years ago has been shown to distraught parents in the town of Chibok.
Fifteen girls, who are among more than 200 still missing , appear on the video, which was made almost four months ago. In response to off-camera questions, they calmly say their names and where they are from. The girls, who are Christian, are wearing black hijab s.
First footage
Towards the end of the two-minute clip, one of the girls, Naomi Zakaria, urges the Nigerian authorities to help reunite the girls with their families. “I am speaking on 25 December 2015, on behalf of the all the Chibok girls and we are all well,” she says, stressing the word “all”.
It is the first footage of the girls since a video released a month after they were kidnapped on April 14, 2014. Their abduction triggered a global campaign for their release under the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. The campaign was supported by Michelle Obama and dozens of celebrities.
The video was provided by Boko Haram as a show of good faith, at the request of negotiators trying to secure the release of the girls. Parents saw it for the first time this week.
Hundreds of parents of the Chibok girls were due to hold a march in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Thursday to demand the government step up efforts to free the girls. Other parents were planning a prayer vigil at the Government Girls secondary school in Chibok from where the girls were taken. The previous government as criticised for its slow response to the abductions. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2016
