DHAKA: US First Lady Michelle Obama is to deliver her husband’s weekly presidential address to condemn last month’s abduction of Nigerian girls.

First ladies normally refrain from outspoken foreign policy remarks, but Michelle has been a vocal campaigner for the release of more than 200 girls.

Fifty-three of the schoolgirls escaped soon after being seized in Chibok on 14 April but many more remain captive.

Islamist militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack.

The United Nations Security Council expressed outrage over the abductions in north-eastern Borno state, and demanded the immediate release of the students.

It said it would consider ‘appropriate measures’ against Boko Haram. The US is seeking to have UN sanctions imposed on the group.

Michelle is due to make the address ahead of Mother’s Day, which the United States marks on Sunday.

BDST: 1440 HRS, MAY 10, 2014