Staff Writer
The
kidnappings and attacks by the Boko Haram Islamist group last month have left a
quite unsettling atmosphere across the town of Chibok and most of Nigeria. Residents
watched a disturbing video of some captured girls released by a French news
agency, Agence France-Presse. The video shows roughly 100 girls on the ground,
dressed in traditional Islamic clothing, forcibly chanting “Praise to be Allah,
the lord of the world.” In the 27-minute video, the alleged leader Abubakar
Shekau said he would release the girls only when the imprisoned members of Boko
Haram are freed. However, at a later briefing, the director of the National
Orientation Agency stated that other negotiations could be a possibility for
rescuing the kidnapped girls. Director Mike Omeri said, “The government of
Nigeria will continue to explore all options for the release and safe return of
our girls back to their respective homes.”
Because
of the video and the extreme outcry, a global search effort is in effect. U.S.
and British officials are in the capital of Abuja to help the search, plan
rescue missions, and advise ways to stop the terror group. The United States is
providing Department of Defense aerial surveillance over Nigeria as well as
sharing satellite images with Nigeria in an effort to help find the girls.
Despite the effort, Nigerian citizens claim that their own government has done
very little to help the situation since it began nearly a month ago. In response,
Information Minister Labaran Maku said that they “went into action the moment
we heard of the kidnappings.” He also argued that “We shouldn’t turn this into
a trial of the Nigerian government.”
Source:
CNN
