A man who identified himself as Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haran stated in a video that he had kidnapped 200 school girls out of their beds and plans to sell them. He also said how he was ordered to do so by Allah.
The video was obtained by the Agence France-Presse, and CNN translated all his statements: “I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah.” The man spoke in the local Hausa language.
According to the testimony by the man who claimed to be Abubakar Shekau, explained how he and his men stormed a local girls’ middle school in Nigeria with trucks and dragged around 200 students out of their beds. Some reports explained that there is a high possibility that the girls will be forced to marry the Islamic militants and terrorists. A total of 276 girls are believed to have been kidnapped while around 50 of them are reported to have escaped.
The global community has expressed great concern and outrage at the happening in Nigeria. The U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry had this to say on the abduction in a speech he gave in Ethiopia: "We will do everything possible to support the Nigerian government to return these young women to their homes and hold the perpetrators to justice. That is our responsibility and the world's responsibility."
Boko Haram is a terrorist organization that has been fighting against the Nigerian government and the Christians of this nation for the past 5 years. Entire congregations have been shot to death by its members and numerous bombings have occurred. The name Boko Haram literally means “western education is sin”.
However, the local Muslim groups of Nigeria have stated that the organization does not represent true Islam and condemned their actions. A representative spoke through a website known as MuslimsAgainstTerror.com: “The actions of Boko Haram are in clear contradiction of the tenets of Islam. Islam forbids the killing of innocent victims," the statement continues. "Islam forbids the attack of women and children."
