Where are the girls?
The abducted girls from the town of Chibok are thought to be
held in the Sambisa forest, a remote and inaccessible area of country.
It has been reported that the forest is dense and impenetrable, but this is misleading.
Who are the girls?
While the number of girls kidnapped has not been finally
settled, the identities of some 180 were released by a Christian
activist. These names have not been confirmed. Fifty-three have managed
to escape.
Southern Borno state is home to many Christian communities and it is
thought the majority of the girls who have been taken are Christians.
But there are also Muslim girls among the abducted.
These divisions might not mean much to the people of Chibok, a
small community where everyone knows everyone, and families are made up
both Christians and Muslims.
Why did Boko Haram abduct the girls?
The group condemns those who have been educated in the "Western" system, and is against the education of women.
Boko Haram Leader - Abubakar Shekau
Why was Nigeria so slow to do anything?
Nigerians have become inured to daily tales of horror that come out of the north and politicians are not exempt from this.
Many people in Nigeria feel a sense of desperate fatalism about the
conflict; for days it seemed the kidnapping was just another event in a
campaign of violence that rumbles on without a clear solution.
Source: BBC NEWS