Leah Sharibu: FIDA, CSOs, stakeholders call for unconditional release

Forum 1 year ago

Leah Sharibu: FIDA, CSOs, stakeholders call for unconditional release

Five years after Leah Sharibu, one of the Dapchi schoolgirls was kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents; she is yet to be released and seems to have been forgotten.

She was abducted on February 19, 2018 in Yobe State alongside 109 other girls but while the other girls were released, Leah was held back because she refused to abandon her Christian faith and accept Islam as her abductors wanted.

A Nigerian child in the face of a security challenge is something to worry about.

Top Civil Society stakeholders who spoke with WO lamented the worrisome situation and called for the unconditional release of Leah Sharibu.

Amina Suzanah Agbaje, FIDA National Vice President—“It’s a sad reminder of the threat the Nigerian girl child faces”

The 5th grim anniversary of the abduction of Leah Sharibu is a sad reminder of the threat the Nigerian girl child faces.

The failure of the Nigerian Government to secure her release after 5years reinforces the hopelessness of the state’s obligation to her future leaders; a lack of protection and respect for the fundamental rights to life and dignity of human person.

FIDA Nigeria reiterates the call for the unconditional release of Leah Sharibu from Boko Haram captivity.

Leah Sharibu will always be a reminder that the girl child is an endangered gender and every apparatus of state must be deployed to promote, protect and preserve her rights as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.

Barr Efe Aghugha, President, Warrien Rose Foundation—“Leah must not be forgotten”

“It is a pity that 5years down the line, Leah ‘appears’ to have been forgotten. Is the government really being sincere? There has been a lot of talk but no political will to make it happen.

We are tired of stories. We are tired of excuses. We are tired of complaints. We are tired of being told to be patient.

If a Government has no empathy and does not feel the pain of its people, it cannot be sensitive to its people’s needs. This type of government is more concerned with its own power and agenda than with the wellbeing of its people. Such a government is often corrupt and abusive and its people often live in poverty and insecurity.

The government has assured us on several occasions that they are sincere and do in actual fact care about us as a people. It is time to walk the talk and take some tough decisions

Leah must not be forgotten

Efforts should be made to free her even if it is the last thing this Administration does before passing on the reins”.

Prof Remi Sonaiya—“We look forward to the miracle of having her back”

“I constantly remember her and pray for her, that God will continue to sustain her. We look forward to the miracle of having her back, along with her two children. We also remember her parents, siblings and friends. May God grant our hearts’ desires.”

University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria, Professor Uwa Edosomwan—-“I salute Leah, a heroine and prisoner of faith”

“I am saddened by the fact that Leah Sharibu is still in captivity. The Presidency and leaders have done nothing concrete towards her release despite the national and global outcry against her incarceration. I salute Leah, a heroine and prisoner of faith. I pray that she will be released soon and have the possibility of recovery and reintegration back into the society”.

Former FIDA President, Lagos Branch, Phil Nneji—“Where do we go from here?”

“It’s very disheartening to find ourselves where we are, five years after this nagging incident of the abduction of the young girl with no trace or sign of rescue. Very worrisome indeed. My heart bleeds. I can feel her pains and that of her parents/family. This is a pointer to the fact that the level of insecurity in our country is obviously very high and there is no significant way out of solving the problem. The pertinent question is, where do we go from here? It’s very unfortunate for a great country like Nigeria, the seeming giant of Africa”.

Jeph Ighodaro, Executive Director, Purple Admiral Foundation—“Issues around children not given priority

“Specifically, I am concerned that the government has not successfully rescued Leah after 5 years, despite political statements that she would be rescued. But, I am not surprised that efforts have not materialised towards her rescue. After all, there are still a handful of girls that are still missing from Chibok, many years before their abduction.

I see that the issue around children is not given priority like other governance issues, including politics and elections. This means that the political will to find her, within this geographical space called Nigeria has been lacking.

I’ll advocate for safer schools for our children, across Nigeria, and for promoting children’s issues as front burners, because these children are our future and we cannot in any way reduce the number of out of school children, now placed at 20million by UNICEF if we go on with the business as usual kind of affair.

I personally feel a sense of loss that she and many more girls have lost their childhood and been plunged into adulthood in a manner that they can never regain the lost years behind. There have been all sorts of rumours out there, including what is happening to her and sadly, these are not concrete enough to establish her safety”.