On February 19, 2018, a 14-year-old girl, Leah Sharibu, was kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria along with 109 other girls. They were students at Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School in Dapchi, Bursari, in the local government area of Yobe State in Nigeria. Yobe State is one of the States in Nigeria with a predominantly Muslim population. The abductors threaten parents of these girls for sending their daughters to school to receive Western education. Boko Haram translates “Western education is a sin.” Haram is Arabic word meaning “forbidden” and Boko means “fake.”
Leah Sharibu was the only Christian among the 110 girls and on March 21, after intense negotiation by the Nigerian government with the abductors, Boko Haram released 104 girls without Leah. Unfortunately, five of the girls died from heart issues and stress in captivity and Leah was not one of them. Boko Haram wanted Leah to deny Jesus Christ, but she refused. On July 18, 2019, a transcript from Grace Taku, an aid worker also kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists, claimed that the insurgents had killed Leah Sharibu. The government of Nigeria has remained silent, the body of Leah has not been found, and her whereabouts are not known. We at World Christian Broadcasting are praying for Leah and her family, and we ask you to pray for Leah too.
