Three months after 276 girls were abducted from their school dormitory in Nigeria, the Islamist group Boko Haram on Monday admitted it was responsible for the kidnapping and announced plans to sell the remaining 223 girls to the market.

"I kidnapped your girls. I will sell them in the market. Allah says I should sell," said a man who claimed to be the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, in a video obtained by news wire agency Agence France-Presse.

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The latest video has turned the fears of the girls' parents even more nightmarish, prompting them to keep silent for fear that their daughter could be singled out if they speak to the media.

In the video, which lasted for almost an hour, the Boko Haram leader repeatedly lambasted Western education to end and urged Nigeria to stop teaching Western education. Shekau also told Nigerian girls to stop going to school and get married instead.

In Nigeria, Boko Haram means "Western education is sin".

The comment by Shekau immediately generated reactions from around the world, with former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying access to education is a basic right and should not be taken as reason to abduct innocent girls.

On her Twitter, Clinton wrote "We must stand up to terrorism" and used the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.

The video of Shekau was broadcasted by CNN, which also provided translation from the local Hausa language. Shekau said his decision to sell the women to the market was based on the commands he allegedly received from Allah. In the video, he kept saying "I will sell women". 

The group still has 223 of the 276 kidnapped girls, the Nigerian authorities said. At least 53 of the girls managed to escape. Authorities said the group managed to disarm the guards assigned at the girls' school on April 14 then pulled the girls out of their bed and loaded them into waiting trucks.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan vowed on Sunday that authorities will get the girls out "Wherever these girls are".

TagsBoko Haram, Nigerian Girls, Kidnapped Nigerian Girls, #BringBackOurGirls