Father of kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirl reveals photos of his daughter pictured before she was snatched by Boko Haram

The father of a kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirl has revealed photographs of his daughter pictured before she was snatched by blood-crazed Boko Haram fanatics.

Mary was taken alongside her closest friend who lives next door to her. 

Speaking to ITV News, Mary's father said he is desperate with worry and the thought of what his daughter is going through. 

Five of his nieces have also been snatched by the militant group Boko Haram which is holding 276 female students. 

This week it released a video showing around 100 of the girls and said they will only be freed after the government releases jailed militants.

Mary's father was shown the video in the hope he may recognise his own child or nieces. 

Despite not seeing his own daughter he did recognise a girl, he believes to be around 16 or 17, who lives opposite to his family's home. 

Mary was taken alongside her closest friend who lives next door to her

He told ITV News that he did not trust the offer made by Boko Haram to release the girls in exchange for prisoners. 

Mary's father was shown the video in the hope he may recognise his own child or nieces

Washington has sent military, law-enforcement and development experts to Nigeria to help search for the missing girls who were kidnapped by the militants from a secondary school in Chibok in remote north-eastern Nigeria on April 14.

‘We have shared commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerians and are flying manned ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets over Nigeria with the government's permission,’ a U.S. official said.

Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was also considering deploying unmanned drone aircraft to aid the search.

Optimism: Forensic analysis of the video has begun, with one expert confident that it contains clues that will help focus security services' search efforts

One of the U.S. officials told Reuters the United States had been carrying out the manned surveillance flights ‘for a few days’ but did not elaborate.

Boko Haram paraded the shell-shocked teenagers on a chilling video, in which the leader, Abubaker Shekau, chuckled and confirmed his prisoners - the vast majority of them Christians.