A video appearing to show some of Nigeria's kidnapped Chibok girls has been aired with images of tearful parents recognising their daughters, who have not been heard from since the mass abduction by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram two years ago.
CNN yesterday showed video, believed made in December, of girls wearing the Islamic hijab covering and of one mother reaching out to a computer screen as she recognises her daughter.
"My Saratu," she wails.
On the night of April 14, 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Secondary School in the northeast town of Chibok. Dozens of girls later escaped, but 219 remain missing.
While Boko Haram is thought to have abducted thousands of people over the years, the mass abduction brought the extremist group to the world's attention.
The campaign hashtag #BringBackOurGirls went as far as the White House, used by US first lady Michelle Obama.
The military boasted last week that soldiers have rescued 11,595 civilian hostages since February 26.Boko Haram has held thousands of civilians captive.
But none has been from Chibok.
CNN reported that the "proof of life" video was sent in December to negotiators trying to free the girls. It shows an interview with Information Minister Lai Mohammed saying the Government is reviewing and assessing the video.
Senator Shehu Sani, who has been involved in past negotiations with Boko Haram about the Chibok girls, told the Associated Press he found the video credible.
Yakubu Nkeki, leader of a support group of parents of the kidnapped girls, said he briefly saw part of the CNN video, in between power blackouts frequent in Nigeria, and recognised some of the girls.
"We are all well," one of the girls says in the video, emphasising the "all".
There have been fears that Boko Haram's increasing use of female children and adults to carry out suicide bombings indicate they are turning captives into weapons, including the Chibok girls.
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