(Potentially distressing imaging alert!. Kidnapped young Nigerian women and girls being forced to read Quran by kidnappers. Boco Haram leader Abubakar Shekau rant and raving demanding prisioner exchange.)
Adam Nossiter of the New York Times reports Boko Haram Video Appears to Show Kidnapped Nigerian Girls
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — A new clue about the fate of hundreds of girls kidnapped by an Islamist extremist group in Nigeria emerged Monday with the release of a video apparently showing many of the girls and new threats to “sell them” and “hold them as slaves” until Boko Haram members are released from prison.
The video shows dozens of girls dressed in head scarves and long gowns that cover their bodies but reveal their faces. They are praying and seated cross-legged in the type of scrubland that is pervasive in this region, not far from the Sahara Desert. One of the girls is shown reciting the opening of the Quran; three express allegiance to Islam; two say they had converted from Christianity.
Nosseter writes that it has been impossible to fully authenticate the video which contains a disjointed rambling message from Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau.
“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, it exists, yes, it exists.”
“We will never release them until our brethren are released,” he said. “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,” Mr. Shekau said.
This story has just broken so I have not found reactions to this tape yet. When I do I shall put it in an update.
This is an upsetting tape to see so I am wondering what kind of warning letters might be appropriate to put in the title? Do we have some standard letter alert to notify readers that a post may contain distressing images? Please accept my apologies if this video caught you by surprise.
Also, I've read that some of these "girls" are 18 so we should probably be referring to them as young "women and girls" should we not? The one young women who escaped and was interviewed by CNN is reported to be 18.
Our prayers and best wishes for the safe return of the Nigerian girls go out to them, their families and to all Nigerians.
1:28 PM PT: The video in the post is from SkyNews which is an edited down version just of the girls praying.
The one from the original one from The New York Times which was included in my first post turns out to be from AFP News which is blocked by this site, but does contain the footage of Abubakar Shekau's statements and demand for a prisoner swap. If you wish to see this footage you can follow the links to the NYT article and follow the link to the video in the text there, or link to it here. This picture of it is most likely blocked, but I believe the link should take you to YouTube where it should work.
Boko Haram video claims to show missing Nigerian schoolgirls