Kidnapped professor speaks on Leah Sharibu’s whereabouts from captivity

Bitrus Bwala, a principal lecturer at the College of Education, Gashua, Yobe state, who was kidnapped in November says Leah Sharibu is still alive.

Sharibu, a student of Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi, Yobe, was kidnapped by a faction of Boko Haram in February 2018.

There have been concerns about the safety of the victim who was the only Christian among the over 100 girls who were abducted and released.

But speaking in a video posted by Ahmad Salkida, a journalist known to have access to the leadership of Boko Haram, Bwala said Sharibu is still with the insurgents.

The video was released barely 24 hours after four out of five abducted aid workers of Action Against Hunger (AAH), an international non-governmental organisation were killed by the insurgents.

Bwala said he and the other captives saw the aid workers before they were killed.

He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Christian Organisation of Nigeria (CAN) to help him and the other captives regain their freedom.

“I am a principal lecturer with College of Education, Gashua, Yobe state. I was on my way to my station on the 27th of November 2019 that I was abducted,” Bwala said.

“I appeal to the federal government to come to our aid. As you can see behind me are fellow Christians who were arrested on various points. I equally appeal to Christian association to do whatever is within their reach in order to rescue us because when we came, we saw some workers here, particularly workers with food organisation, however, shortly, they were executed.

“We also saw that the government has not done enough that is why Leah Sharibu is still with this group. We, therefore, appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari.”