Families of schoolgirls abducted in Nigeria protest over 'lack of action'

A protest outside Nigeria's parliament in Abuja demanding security forces to search harder for 200 schoolgirls abducted two weeks ago Credit: Reuters

The search for 234 girls kidnapped by Islamist rebels from a school in Nigeria is now in its third week, with no sign of the abducted children.

ITV News International Affairs Editor Rageh Omaar reports:

The relatives of the missing schoolgirls have held protests over a perceived lack of action by authorities in Africa's largest, wealthiest and most influential African country.

One of those protesting told ITV News: "We believe that by coming here we are going to bring the attention of all Nigerians and especially mothers and parents to the plight of those children."

Boko Haram Islamists are suspected to be behind the mass abduction.

The al-Qaeda off-shoot, whose name means "Western education is sinful" has fought a bloody insurgent war in the north of Nigeria for more than a decade.

A Boko Haram fighter in a promotional video. Credit: ITV News

The group raided the girls' boarding school in their stronghold state Borno on April 15.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the abducted girls have been made into slaves, which the group has threatened to do to captured girls in the past.

Read: Nigeria: '234 girls missing' after school kidnap

Relatives of the kidnapped school girls during a meeting with the Borno State governor in Chibok, Maiduguri, Borno State. Credit: Reuters

The Nigerian government and military faces mounting criticism from many who say it should be doing more to get the girls released - even if that means negotiating with Boko Haram.