A group under the aegies of the Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria (CSW) on Tuesday, held a rally in Kaduna to mark the 21st birthday of Leah Sharibu who has been in the captivity of Boko Haram terrorists since she was abducted by the insurgents in 2018.
The group also used the rally to decry the inability of the Federal Government and security agencies to secure Leah’s release despite several promises.
Leah was one of the 110 female students of the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, on February 19, 2018, and while many others had been released by the terrorists, Leah was withheld because she refused to denounce her Christian faith.
According to various reports, she has been married off twice to two Boko Haram commanders and currently has three children six years after the abduction.
While carrying out the peaceful protest around the Kaduna metropolis, members of the group demanded the immediate release of Leah and other schoolchildren still languishing in terrorist camps across the northern states, and called on both the federal and state governments to secure the community, so that “Leah Sharibu and others could go to school without necessarily ending up at kidnappers’ dens.”
The protesters who carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Free Leah Sharibu and other abducted girls now,” “Remember Gonin-Gora 16 kidnapped victims,” “Government, secure our community,” and “Rescue the remaining Chibok girls now,” as well as “Education is not a crime,” and chanted solidarity songs.
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Speaking to journalists during the rally, the Chief Executive Officer of the CSW, Rev. Yunusa Nmadu, said it was unfortunate that six years after the incident, Leah Sharibu had yet to be rescued.
“When it started in Chibok, we thought that was the end, but it keeps recurring now and then. Now, many schoolgirls are still in captivity.
“This morning, we have all come out to commemorate the 21st birthday of Leah Sharibu, who has become the face of this campaign and many other campaigns for safe school. We, therefore, want to wish her a happy birthday, even in captivity.
“But then, we also want to entreat the government to do the needful. Nigeria is ebbing out. Nigeria is dying. We are almost surrendering to insecurity and bandits, kidnappers and all sorts of evil people in our land. It is time to stop them.
“Our children must go to school. We must stay safe in our homes. Our homes are no longer safe. Our roads are no longer safe.
“Government must come to terms with what is happening in the country and save the lives of the populist,” he said.
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