First lady to deliver weekly address on kidnapped Nigerian girls

First lady Michelle Obama will deliver her first solo weekly address on Saturday to express her outrage over the kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls, the White House said Friday.

Earlier this week, Obama tweeted a call for the safe return of the nearly 300 missing children, writing that “our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families.”

The first lady posted a picture of herself holding a sign with the social media hashtag “#BringBackOurGirls” along with her Twitter message.

{mosads}The U.S. has dispatched a team of military, law enforcement and intelligence experts to Nigeria to assist in the search.

Earlier Friday, press secretary Jay Carney refused to confirm reports that the group of girls had been split up by their abductors, saying only that he was “concerned” over the possibility.

“We have seen reports about the whereabouts of the Nigerian girls who were abducted,” Carney told MSNBC. “We cannot confirm any individual report, I can’t get into any intelligence we may have.”

Carney also defended the administration from criticism it did not declare Boko Haram, the Islamist organization which has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, as a terror group during the tenure of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The administration did impose sanctions against some Boko Haram leaders, and the State Department designated the organization a terror group in November 2013.

“The fact is we have been working with the Nigerian government and others in the battle against Boko Haram,” Carney said.