Christians in Nigeria took to the streets on Tuesday to mark the 21st birthday of long-time captive Boko Haram and protest the government’s inability to contain the threat of Islamic extremist terrorism. Leah Sharibu.
Sharibu disappeared along with about 110 other girls in February 2018 when she was abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in Dapchi, Yobe State, Nigeria. She was 15 years old at the time. Boko Haram is a Sunni jihadist terrorist organization affiliated with the Islamic State that has specialized in mass abductions of young women and girls for the past decade. Boko Haram jihadists tend to target Christian schools, kidnap girls and force them into sexual slavery through “marriage” with jihadists.
The Dapchi kidnapping, which targeted the town’s public Women’s Science and Technology University, was one of the largest in Nigeria in the past decade and was almost completely resolved within months. By May 2018, the Boko Haram terrorists involved had released all but one of the girls. Leah Sharibu said her fellow prisoners said she was not released even after she was released because she refused to convert to Islam.
“My daughter is alive, but we didn’t release her because she’s a Christian,” said Leah’s father, Nathan Sharibu. Said USA Today “They told her that if she converted, they would release her, but she said she would never become a Muslim. I was very sad, but I was very happy that my daughter did not denounce Christ. Masu.”
Nigeria: Boko Haram prisoner Leah Sharibu turns 21
“Fourteen-year-old Leah Sharibu remained true to her Christian faith… She remains in captivity.” Pastor Para Malam#Catholic #Catholic Church #Catholic #CatholicNews #CatholicWorld https://t.co/6mzayXOEpM
— ChurchInNeed (@churchinneed) May 15, 2024
Christian groups in Nigeria have organized protests this week in northern Nigeria, criticizing the government of President Bola Tinubu, which has not only failed to free Mr. Sharibu but has also been plagued by jihadist violence since his March 2023 election victory. He accused the country of doing little to protect the Christian community. The current former president, Muhammadu Buhari, is a Fulani Muslim who presided over a dramatic escalation of jihadist violence in the country by genocidal Fulani terrorists who particularly attacked Christians of other ethnic backgrounds. Buhari claimed that the jihadist massacres and mass kidnappings of Christians were caused by “climate change.”
Protesters reportedly gathered on Sharibu’s birthday. numbered Hundreds of Kaduna state residents demanded Sharibu’s freedom, along with the freedom of dozens of girls who have been kept as “wives” by Boko Haram terrorists for years with little government intervention. . According to local reports, demonstrators held placards with slogans such as “Release Leah Sharibu and the other abducted girls now” and “Education is not a crime.”
“We all gathered to commemorate the 21st birthday of Leah Sharibu, who became the face of this campaign and many other campaigns for the safety of schoolchildren. Therefore, even in captivity We would also like to wish her a happy birthday,” Pastor Yunusa Numadu, leader of World Christian Solidarity Nigeria, said in an address to the assembled crowd, according to a local newspaper. Osan Defender.
“Nigeria is in decline. Nigeria is dying. We are almost succumbing to insecurity, bandits, kidnappers and all kinds of evil people. It’s time to stop.” Numadu warned.
“We voted for you for security and what we get is insecurity. So this time we asked President Bola Tinubu and spoke to him. Please do your best and live a safe life. Please,” Numadu urged.
Another speaker at the event, Blaimoh Martins of World Christian Solidarity in Nigeria, estimated that Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists are currently holding 400 students hostage.
Sharibu’s parents issued On Tuesday, he released a separate statement through his publicist congratulating his daughter on her 21st birthday.
Parents of forgotten schoolgirl Leah Sharibu, captured by Boko Haram, wish her “Happy Birthday” on her 21st birthday | Sahara Reporter https://t.co/SWh0Ef9oym pic.twitter.com/Kxk890V1ZQ
— SaharaReporters (@SaharaReporters) May 15, 2024
“We continue to call on the Nigerian government to take the necessary steps to ensure that Leah Sharibu is released from captivity. “This is a bold and courageous refusal to do so,” the parents’ statement said.
“We continue to call on everyone to continue praying for Leah Sharibu, knowing that she will continue to have faith and that God will deliver her from captivity,” the statement continued. “Leah, wherever you are, we celebrate your birthday and may the manifest presence of the Lord Almighty God, whom you have revered since your childhood, remain with you and be with you.” Please know that the world is waiting for you to return to your parents’ arms.
Her parents pointed out Buhari’s failure to free her and urged Tinubu not to continue to disappear.
Little concrete information about Sharibu’s fate has been released since her abduction in 2017. In August 2018, six months after her abduction, Boko Haram terrorists released an audio tape they claimed was Sharibu’s own plea. Her parents said the voice did sound like their daughter’s, but authorities did not confirm whether the tape was actually Sharibu’s.
“I ask the government and people of good will to intervene to get me out of the current situation,” the message said in Hausa. “I also ask the public to help my mother, father, younger brother, and relatives. Kindly help me out of my plight. I will treat you with compassion. I am asking the government, especially the president, to have mercy on me and help me out of this serious situation.
“I heard from those who had been released that she was taken in by Boko Haram because she is a Christian, so I thought she might have been killed. I can only imagine.” Nathan Sharibu Said At the time, CNN said, “I’m calling the government to save my daughter. It’s been seven months since she was taken away, but if they want to help us, we need to protect her from Boko Haram.” I think I can bring you.”
The most recent report about Sharibu is from September, when an unnamed “local security source” spoke to a Nigerian news agency. daily trust The newspaper reported that Sharibu had become a mother and had two Boko Haram “husbands” since 2018.
Anonymous sources claimed that Ms Sharib was forced to marry a man identified as ‘Abdurrahman’, converted to Islam and had two boys. In addition, recent reports indicate that she is now married to Boko Haram’s “commander” Ali Abdalla and they have a daughter together.
The report claimed that the terrorists provided Sharibu with rudimentary medical training and that she was forced to lead Boko Haram’s “medical teams” to come to the aid of injured terrorists.
