Parents of Kidnapped Chibok Schoolgirls Plead for Prisoner Swap

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Aug 16, 2016

Parents of Kidnapped Chibok Schoolgirls Plead for Prisoner Swap

Parents of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls are pleading with the Nigerian government to enact a prisoner swap, releasing Boko Haram militants in exchange for the kidnapped girls.

ChristianToday.com reports that the parents of the girls began calling for the prisoner swap after Boko Haram released a video demanding the government release Boko Haram prisoners.

In the video, the militants allege that some of the girls have already been killed by airstrikes, while others have been married off.

Some of the parents of the girls recognized their daughters in the video and pleaded with the government to carry out the prisoner swap as Boko Haram asked.

''The government should just release the militants...All the girls that have been rescued have rescued themselves. Not any government has rescued them, no army rescued them,” said one mother, Esther Yakubu.

"When I heard her voice, I realise she is my daughter," said a father of one of the girls, Yakubu Kabu, after watching the video. "[W]e are pleading with the government to help...The children are suffering. Some of them could be very sick‎."

The Nigerian government, however, said it is unlikely any of the girls have been killed by airstrikes. They are currently studying the video to try to validate its claims.

Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls back in April 2014. Since that time, a small number have escaped.

 

Publication date: August 16, 2016



Parents of Kidnapped Chibok Schoolgirls Plead for Prisoner Swap