Christian leaders have asked the federal government to rescue Leah Sharibu, the only Dapchi schoolgirl still held in Boko Haram captivity on account of her refusal to renounce her faith.
They made the call for her and others’ freedom sequel to the federal government’s prompt action in the release of 344 schoolboys kidnapped by bandits from Government Secondary School Kankara, in Katsina on December 11 and freed on December 17.
Sharibu, it would be recalled, is a school girl who has been in Boko Haram captivity since she and 109 students of Government Girls’ Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State were abducted by the terrorist group on February 19, 2018.
One hundred and five of the girls regained freedom on March 21, 2018 through a series of what the federal government described as ‘behind-the-scene discussion’ while five were said to have died on the way on the day of captivity and were given a mass burial.
But 16-year-old Sharibu (she was 15 as of the time of abduction), the only Christian girl among the hostages, was denied her freedom because she refused to convert to Islam as a precondition.
Speaking in an interview, the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Samson Ayokunle, welcomed the release of the schoolboys but maintained that there was still the moral burden on the government to secure Leah Sharibu’s freedom as well.
“While we congratulate the Federal Government for working hard to secure the release of these boys, and the parents for the joy of having their children back, more needs to be done. “There is still the moral burden on the government to get Leah Sharibu and the rest Chibok girls released from captivity,” he said.
He urged President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to place high value on all lives and re-examine the security infrastructure, given that Boko Haram abductions seemed to have spread from the epicentre in North East region.
“We, at CAN, are after a secured Nigeria from north to south. The federal government should be humble enough to rejig our security architecture and change those in charge for a more effective delivery.
“We are praying for President Buhari and for a better future and a more secure nation,” he said.
Similarly, a Christian leader and peace advocate for the release of Leah Sharibu, Rev Gideon Para-Mallam, said he received news of the release of the schoolboys with a cocktail of joy and sadness.
“They are young innocent children, and everything is needed to be done to secure their freedom. I am happy this was done at the shortest time possible. Yet, this news brought sadness to my heart as I thought about many Christians who are still in captivity.
“Is Nigeria truly one country? Are the citizens having the same value in the eyes of our government? Are Muslim captives and victims more favourably treated by the government than their Christian counterparts?
“Think about the Chibok girls, about 103 of whom have been missing for over six years now. Leah Sharibu and Alice Ngaddah, both held for almost three years; Grace Tuka for one and a half years; Lilian Gyang for one year by January 9. Yet, there is no sign of freedom for these innocent lives,” he added.
