Kidnapped Nigerian girls likely sold as brides to militants

Relatives of the 234 Nigerian students kidnapped two weeks ago, likely by the Boko Haram terrorist group, believe that the girls have been sold as brides to Islamist militants.

Boko Haram, the organization that many believe is responsible for taking the girls from their dormitory in Chibok, is against Western education, and has killed at least 2,300 people since 2010. One village elder told Agence France Presse that, according to his various sources, the girls have been taken into Chad and Cameroon and sold for 2,000 naira, or $12, each. The marriages allegedly took place over the weekend, and the girls were then split into three groups and moved out by trucks.

The families of the missing girls are upset with the Nigerian military for not only failing to rescue the students but also reporting falsehoods, including that all but eight girls had been released. To bring awareness to the situation, social media users have started deploying the hashtag #BringBackOurDaughters, and protestors have marched through the streets of Nigeria carrying signs pleading for help. "All we want from the government is to help us bring our children back," a weeping father said. --Catherine Garcia

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up