Remembering Leah Sharibu, one year after

Today makes it exactly a year since the only Dapchi school girl, Leah Sharibu, held back by Boko Haram on account of her Christian faith was abducted. MUSA M. BUBA in this report chronicles the events since February 19, 2018.

It’s almost a decade now since Boko Haram insurgents commenced their deadly activities where millions of lives and property were lost, also with many losing their means of livelihood especially farmers who had to flee to relatively peaceful areas.

Since then, efforts to eliminate the terrorists group has proved abortive; in fact, it has almost been politicised by those vying for different positions who accuse each other of failure to end the madness.

The sect, apart from the killings and destruction of properties, turned to kidnappings for ransom, forceful recruitment of fighters and in extreme cases forcefully abduct young, under-aged girls into marriages.

Although there were thousands of women being abducted since the sect commenced its onslaught in the North-east, but the one that drew the attention of international bodies was the abduction of over 200 SSS III students of Government Girls Secondary School Chibok who were preparing for their final examinations in April, 2014.

A similar incident also happened at the Government Girls Science Technical College Dapchi, Yobe state on February 19, 2018 where the girls were abducted from their hostels in which five died as result of the trauma and complications thereof. A month after, others were returned by the insurgents while only Leah Nathaniel Sharibu was withheld because she refused to denounce her

Christian faith when she was allegedly asked to do so. Since then, she had been in the hands of her captors with several fears about her safety. And if alive, the dehumanisation she would have passed through by now would be unimaginable.

Prayer for her release

As a result of this, prayers were and had been offered for her immediate freedom by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) both at the national and states levels. Non-Christians also joined in praying for the release of the innocent girl from captivity.

During the 2018 Easter CAN rally, her mother, Mrs Rebecca Nathaniel Sharibu, thanked everyone especially Christians for their prayers; she also called on the federal government to redouble its efforts in rescuing her daughter.

“I really thank all the people around the world praying for my daughter’s safe return. I am praying for the terrorists too not to die but that God will speak to their hearts to release my daughter,” she said.

The Evangelical Church winning All (ECWA where Leah and her parents worship also had series of prayer and fasting for her release.

Government’s promise

Since the abduction of the Dapchi school girls and subsequent return of others apart from Leah, the federal government had sent about five delegations to the state and Dapchi community, in particular, but could not visit the parents of Leah until eight months later when the minister of information, Lai Mohammed, during a visit, said the government was concerned about the withheld school girl, reassuring them of her safe return and others who are still in the custody of the insurgents. This was when he led the federal government delegation to condole the parent.

Some Dapchi residents who do not want their names in print told Blueprint that the visit by the minister was politically-motivated having taken the government eight months before the visit.

“Today is exactly one year and the federal government has kept promising that she will soon regain her freedom as her parents and Nigerians have been waiting keenly,” one of them said.

Speculation about her release/death

Times without number, there were speculations about her release especially on the social media platforms. The most recent was in the first week of February, 2019 when speculation went wild about her death. When however, Blueprint contacted her father, he disassociated himself from the rumours, saying that his daughter Leah was not dead.

“I have been receiving calls from people condoling me that my daughter is dead, but I want to tell the world that I am not aware of this and none of my family member is associated with this rumour,” he said.

Mr Sharibu further used the medium to call on the federal government not to forget his daughter but work towards her release from the hands of her abductors.

The federal government through Mohammed had also debunked the rumour of her death saying, it was a fake news. “It is ‘absolute fake’ the report that Sharibu had died in captivity. It is part of the opposition’s strategies to throw everything at the administration and at the president. I think every day they are realising the hopelessness of their position,” he said.

Reaction of Dapchi community

On several occasions, given any opportunity, the inhabitants of Dapchi kept praying for the release of Leah.  The chairman of the parents association of the school, Alhaji Kachallab, once told Blueprint, “We pity the parents whenever we see them. If their daughter can be returned safely, we will be much happy in this community”.

Shattered dream

Leah, who according to her mother was a hardworking girl, has the ambition of becoming a nurse.  She went further to state that, “The decision

Leah took not to denounce her faith was a rightful one even if she is to die in the hands of the terrorists”.

Leah clocks 15 this year. Some of her colleagues who were returned had either been transferred to other schools across the country or others returned to Dapchi as security arrangements have been intensified in the school.

Some months ago, the terrorists released a video showing the captive Leah putting on a veil (hijab) in which she called on the government to negotiate for her release.

The question many people are asking, however, is: how did the minister of information, came to know that Leah is still alive and when will the federal government fulfils its promise to put a smiling face on the parents?

Girl-child education in North-east 

Before the coming of the insurgents, girl-child education had been low due to the conspiracy of religious, social, and cultural factors like forceful early marriages which has always been an obstacle for girls’ education.

Although it improved two decades ago, the activities of terrorists have caused more damage as some parents are afraid of taking their daughters to schools due to the fears of abduction.

It is reported that between January and July 2017, Boko Haram used 145 girls for suicide attacks across the North-east.

The effect of this is large scale humanitarian crisis that has left many in internally displaced persons’ camps.

Concerned stakeholders in the state are of the views that the government must not only fight the terrorists but work towards establishing more girl schools in order to encourage the enrollment of girl child.

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