There is no end to the number of people asking for prompt actions leading to the release of over 200 schoolgirls abducted from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, Nigeria by the Boko Haram extremists.

Following her husband’s condemnation of the heinous act and offer of assistance to the Nigerian government to expedite action to release the girls, Michelle Obama, United States, US, first lady, has tweeted her support for the girls. “Our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families,” tweeted the US first lady, with a photo of herself in the White House holding a white piece of paper with the message ‘Bring Back Our Girls.’ “It’s criminal. It’s an act of terrorism and it really merits the fullest response possible. First and foremost from the government of Nigeria,” she said.

Support for the girls has heightened across the world with rallies and protests in Washington, Los Angeles, Dublin and London. A global “social media march” has also been organised asking supporters to use their networks to promote the campaign for 200 minutes on Thursday and there are also ‘Bring Back Our Girls and a Wear Red Facebook’ pages. Amnesty International and Unicef have backed the campaign, as have politicians and celebrities, including Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Wyclef Jean and Chris Brown.