"I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market" he said in a new video obtained on Monday by AFP.

At least 223 youngsters were seized by suspected militants during a raid in the village of Chibok, in Borno state, north Nigeria, three weeks ago.

Reports had previously circulated that some of the 223 girls still missing have already been sold as brides across Nigeria's border with Chad and Cameroon for as little as $12.

The kidnappings have sparked numerous protests throughout Nigeria. Parents have grown increasingly frustrated by what they perceive as a feckless governmental response. Some relatives have launched their own search, riding motorcycles deep into the surrounding forests in search of their girls.

Earlier on Monday, Boko Haram militant group had claimed responsibility for the abduction of the missing schoolgirls.

RA/NJF