Lagos: Boko Haram has released a new video which claims that the missing Nigerian schoolgirls, alleging teenagers have converted to Islam and would not be released until all detained militants are freed.

The group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, speaks on the video obtained by AFP for 17 minutes and also viewed the girls praying in orthodox Muslim dresses. The girls were in an unknown rural location and the name of the place was not revealed by Boko Haram. A total of 276 girls were abducted on April 14 from the northeastern town of Chibok, in Borno state, which has a seizable Christian community. About 223 girls are still found missing.

Boko Haram militants have been creating deadly insurgencies in Nigeria since 2009. Their activities are centered in the northern sector of the country where majority are Muslims. Their activities include attacking on schools where Western curriculum was taught. Boko Harams other targets were churches and governmental institutions.

Because of the various militant attacks in Nigeria, more than 1,500 civilians have killed this year alone while tens of thousands have been displaced since their homes and businesses were destroyed.
Nigeria’s government was criticized for its lack of immediate response over the kidnapping of school girls and forced to act when Shekau threatened to sell the innocents as slaves.
Global nations such as United States, Britain, France, China and Israel, have sent specialist teams to help Nigeria in the ongoing search operations for the missing girls.

Video on claims made by Boko Haram