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Nigeria: Girl held for refusing to renounce Christ marks 2 years in captivity, reports of birth emerge

February 24, 2020

Persecution of Christians in Nigeria: 16-year-old Leah Sharibu was abducted in 2018 by the terrorist group Boko Haram along with over 100 other schoolgirls; all the others were released but she was held because she refused to renounce Christ and convert to Islam. She has previously been reported dead, and we are grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ that she is still alive. Leah Sharibu has already demonstrated the unconquerable faith and indomitable courage of the holy martyrs. Please pray that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will abundantly bless her witness by turning the hearts of her captors, so that they will be moved to embrace the faith for which she has suffered so much.

For previous coverage of the persecution of Christians in Nigeria from ChristianPersecution.com, see here.

“Leah Sharibu Hits 2 Years in Captivity, Reports of Birth Emerge,” International Christian Concern, February 20, 2020:

02/20/2020 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Today marks two years since Leah Sharibu and 109 other girls were kidnapped from their school in Dapchi, Nigeria by the Islamic State West Africa province branch of Boko Haram. Leah is the only remaining girl from that incident who is still in captivity. She continues to be held by this terrorist group because she has been unwilling to recant her faith in Christ.

In the past month, reports have arisen that Leah was forcefully married to a commander in Boko Haram. She has since given birth to a child according to Ahmad Salkida, a reporter who has access to the group. SAlkida stated on twitter, “Why, I wonder, do we pretend that leaving Leah behind won’t result in pregnancy? Since the terror group announced condemning her to slavery, is there any step or collective focus on preventing similar occurrences? She’s a mother, but I don’t know about the gender of the baby.” Sadly, it is likely that this report is true. Boko Haram is known to use rape, torture and forced marriages against young women who they capture.

However, this does not affect Leah’s worth, or the need to free her from this evil group. According to Gloria Puldu, a close friend of the family and Professor at the University of Jos, “The most important thing is that we want her to be alive. And if she is alive, we will praise God for that. They should release her, despite whatever condition she is in. That is all; it doesn’t matter whether she is pregnant or with a baby.” It is time for Leah to be returned home to her family….