On Tuesday, February 19, 2019, Leah Sharibu was one year in the custody of Boko Haram’s Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction. The 16-year-old student was abducted by the sect from Government Girls Science and Technical School in Dapchi, Yobe State along with about 110 other schoolgirls. Out of this number, Leah Sharibu is the only schoolgirl ISWAP has refused to let go because, according to reports, she resisted an attempt to forcibly convert her from Christian to Islamic faith.
In the last one year, the circumstances surrounding her continued incarceration by the terrorists have caused her predicament to standout, in spite of the fact that many other Chibok girls, women, children and men are held in the sect’s enclave. Leah Sharibu’s courage and loyalty to her religious faith speak louder than other arguments about the circumstances surrounding her enslavement by ISWAP.
During the campaigns for the presidential election, the young girl’s predicament became an issue. Both President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo spoke on government’s resolve to ensure her release from the dreaded sect. On his part, Buhari put a call through to her parents in October 2018, saying, “I convey my emotion, the strong commitment of my administration and the solidarity of all Nigerians to you and your family as we will do our best to bring your daughter home in peace and safety.” This phone call went viral on legacy and social media, an indication that the president was concerned about Leah Sharibu’s predicament.
Vice President Osinbajo added his voice to the president’s assurances. He said, “There are people who act as middlemen who know how to reach out to them [Boko Haram]. The government will get Leah Sharibu and the others back from Boko Haram.” To the family, these assurances are familiar voices they had heard in the last one year. The Presidency and security agencies have given similar assurances to the family, but Leah’s release has not happened.
After Buhari’s victory at the February 23 polls, Mrs Rebecca Sharibu, the young lady’s mother, publicly congratulated the president, ostensibly reminding Buhari of the need to facilitate her daughter’s freedom. In a widely circulated emotional appeal, the Mum said, “I am grateful to all Nigerians who participated in the election… We are also happy that the President won the election. On behalf of myself and my family, we congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and pray for God to give him the desired wisdom to rule the country. I want to remind the President that, as he celebrates his victory, he should not forget that Leah is still in the hands of Boko Haram. As for me, my heart is heavy because I have not seen my daughter for more than one year now. I am calling on the President to fulfil his promise of freeing my daughter from the hands of Boko Haram. My cry is still the same, today and tomorrow until I see my daughter.”
We call on government and other security agencies to do whatever is possible in ensuring that Leah and many other Nigerians who are held captive by Boko Haram are set free. These are Nigerian citizens who do not deserve to be enslaved in their own country. There is no compulsion in religion, therefore, their reasons for taking Leah Sharibu and others captive are not tenable in both religious and secular worlds. We call on Boko Haram to release these innocent persons unconditionally. On their grievances with the Nigerian State, they should find a way of engaging the authorities to find a peaceful resolution, instead of abducting and killing innocent Nigerians. Government has provided several avenues for the resolution of the conflict with the sect. Boko Haram should release Leah Sharibu and other captives, and take advantage of amnesty offers made by government.
