At least 11 parents of the abducted Nigerian schoolgirls have died in their hometown Chibok.
In April, Boko Haram militants had stormed into a local school of the town and abducted the girls. The militants had demanded the government release their members from prison in exchange for the captives. However, the demand was rejected.
A recent attack on the nearby village of Kautakari killed seven fathers of the abducted girls and at least four parents succumbed to heart failure, high blood pressure and illnesses related to trauma, said community leader Pogu Bitrus.
"One father of two of the girls kidnapped just went into a kind of coma and kept repeating the names of his daughters, until life left him," Bitrus told theAssociated Press.
The fundamentalist group has threatened to sell the girls into slavery or marry them off to the members.
President Goodluck Jonathan said that the government and military are trying hard to get the kidnapped girls released. According to the Defence Ministry, they are well aware of the whereabouts of the girls. However, they fear any military campaign could result in their deaths.
Around two weeks ago, 63 of 70 girls who were abducted from Kummabza village of Borno State managed to escape from the captors.
According to the reports, these girls are receiving counseling and are recovering from the trauma. They are now taking part in therapeutic singing and drawing.
According to the Associated Press report, Chibok is in imminent danger of being run over by the Islamist militant group as Boko Haram is advancing and several surrounding villages have already been attacked by the group.
