Chairman of the Chibok Development Association, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, says the terrain where the video showing over a hundred of the over 200 abducted girls was shot looks familiar.

Boko Haram terrorist group released the video yesterday, showing the girls, kidnapped from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in the night of April 14, chanting praises to Allah. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau announced in the video that the girls have become converted to Muslims.

There was no indication of where the video was shot but Dr. Bitrus, who is also leader of the Chibok Elders Forum, told BBC that the vegetation in the video resembles that in the nearby Sambisa forest reserve. Sambisa is widely known as the stronghold of Boko Haram.

Meanwhile, a number of parents of the abducted girls have been commenting on the 17-minute video, which shows some 136 girls wearing bulky hijabs and reciting the Holy Q’uran.

A parent of one of the abducted girls, Mallam Awana Babagana, was quoted by Vanguard as saying that with the release of the video the parents believe their daughters were still alive. He called on the Federal Government to do everything possible to secure the safe release of their daughters, saying: “I have seen the video but I couldn’t identify my daughter. I hope they are the ones, we will keep on praying until they are released.”

Another parent who resides in Maiduguri but declined his identity for security reasons was quoted by the paper as saying that he had the opportunity to watch the video but could not identify any of his missing daughters even as he alleged that the footage showing Shekau as leader of the sect is questionable.

Yet another parent, Lawan Zannah, spoke of how his sisters called him to switch on his television set to view the video, showing the alleged school girls on BBC cable television but according to him, there was no power supply, as such he couldn’t watch the programme.

“I have not watched it, but I hope they are the ones. It gladdened my heart when I heard that they showed the video on BB, that means they are still alive. I call on the Federal Government to do everything possible to secure their release. We also call on you and other Nigerians to join us in praying for the safe release of our daughters,” Zannah stated.

On, his part, another father of one of the kidnapped girls told The Telegraph of London: “I have not yet seen the video, but I am not really interested in what Boko Haram’s demands are. My daughter is a Christian, she will never change. I would rather she died as a Christian than convert to Islam.”

A prisoner exchange, he warned, would simply encourage more kidnappings, saying: “I don’t want a prisoner exchange either; our daughters are not prisoners, and they should not be exchanged for anyone.

“Let the government try to rescue them. If they have a prisoner exchange, that will look like the government is giving in to Boko Haram, and it will just encourage them to take more hostages. They will never stop.”

•Photo shows a scene from the video of the abducted Chibok girls.

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