Nigeria: Christian schoolgirl still in Boko Haram captivity after 4 years

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – This month marks the fourth anniversary of the abduction of Nigerian Christian schoolgirl Leah Sharibu, who was kidnapped together with 109 other girls by the Boko Haram terror group in northeastern Nigeria on February 19, 2018, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Leah is the last remaining captive of the 110 girls abducted from Nigeria’s Government Girls’ Science and Technical College in 2018.

Leah was taken at the age of 14; she will turn 19 in May, ICC said. Reports have come in from the 104 remaining Boko Haram survivors that Leah was forced to ‘marry’ one of the abductors and now has two children. However, she is being held incommunicado and has not confirmed the reports.

The Nigerian government has done very little to help Leah, despite international outrage at her predicament, ICC said. “The international community must continue to champion Leah’s cause and demand that she be released,” ICC urged in its report. “It must also pressure the Nigerian government to take a more active role in defending innocent Christians in the Middle Belt and northern parts of Nigeria.”

ICC has also asked for prayer: “Please continue to pray for Leah Sharibu and her family, including her two young children. Pray that the Lord will grant wisdom to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian government. Pray that Leah will be released, and that the Lord will ease the burdens of the trauma that she and her family have experienced. Pray for the healing of Nigeria, for the end of mass abductions and killings, and for the Lord to transform the hearts of those who persecute the church.”

Nigeria ranked number one in the world last year for the number of abductions (and murders) of Christians.

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