Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Aberdeen students send prayers for kidnapped girls

Abedeen University students show solidarty and outrage for the schoolgirls abducted in Nigeria
Abedeen University students show solidarty and outrage for the schoolgirls abducted in Nigeria

Messages in Arabic, French and Spanish were among those written for the kidnapped schoolgirls of Nigeria at Aberdeen University yesterday.

Nigerian militant Islamist group Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from a boarding school in the town of Chibok, in the Borno State, on April 14.

Outraged at the kidnappings, Aberdeen University student, JaNae’ Bates, was compelled to show the support for the girls and their families in the north-east of Scotland.

Ms Bates, 28, who is studying a Masters of Theology at the institute, got the idea whilst attending a prayer service at King’s College Chapel last weekend.

She said: “I attended a prayer service on Saturday and we prayed about what was going on and that inspired me.”

A myriad of messages were written by students yesterday and hung on string between the trees on Elphinstone Lawn, in the heart of Old Aberdeen, as part of the international Bring Back Our Girls campaign.

Since the kidnappings, the movement has gained international momentum, with the likes of Michelle Obama, the wife of the US president, putting pressure on the group to release the girls.

Originally from Ohio, Ms Bates added: “This is about the ability for students to express how they feel. I look at this as a global tragedy, not just a Nigerian one.

“It’s important not only for people to be aware, but to remember that we are a global community, remember that we’re all linked.”

Fellow student, Victor Uweru, 30, who comes from Nigeria’s Delta State, said: “A group of girls who wanted to better their lives through education have been kidnapped, it’s saddening.”

The messages were from students of all faiths. Ms Bates added: “We have had Muslims, Hindus, all religions.”

Assistant chaplain at the university, Marylee Anderson, said: “I think it’s incredible, one of these is in Arabic, there’s so many different nationalities here.”

Nigerian student Kemi Owolabi, 28, said: “It shows that people from so far away and people from so many religions care, it shows a commonality I think. I think it’s great.”

Boko Haram are fighting to overthrow the Nigerian government and make the country an Islamic state. They have previously been responsible for assassinations and bombings in the country.

The messages at Aberdeen University were later pinned along the isle of King’s College Chapel, where students later prayed for the girls.