President Buhari commemorates abduction of Leah Sharibu 2 years after

Two years ago, Leah Sharibu was abducted by a faction of the Boko Haram sect – Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and she is yet to regain her freedom. President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday commemorated the abduction of Leah, the only Dapchi schoolgirl still in captivity.

The President said the Federal Government has redoubled its effort towards her freedom.

In a statement personally signed by him, President Buhari regretted that Leah has remained in the custody of the terrorists because she refused to renounce her Christian faith.

He stressed that Nigerians have the right to practice any religion of their choice and nobody has the power to force another to change their faith against their will.

The President, however, gave an assurance that his administration would continue to work to ensure that Leah, as well as other children and captives of terrorists, regain their freedom.

He added that the government would ensure this was done without discriminating against any religion or ethnic group.

On February 19, 2018, some insurgents stormed the Government Girls Secondary School in Dapchi, Yobe State and abducted Leah and about 100 other girls.

Weeks after the kidnap, the other girls were released while Leah was kept in captivity by the terrorists for refusing to renounce her faith.

Six months later, an audio clip emerged in which the abducted schoolgirl pleaded with President Buhari to help her regain freedom.

In the clip, Leah also sought help for her family and asked the government to treat her case with passion.

Last year, Leah’s family and the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaign group commemorated her first year in the insurgent’s custody and called on the government to secure her release.