I’m Hopeful My Daughter Is Alive – Leah Sharibu’s Mother

Mrs. Rebbeca Sharibu, mother of the abducted Dapchi secondary schoolgirl Leah Sharibu, is still hopeful about her daughter’s return alive.

Reacting to a video released by Boko Haram where an abducted aid worker, Grace, called on the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN ) and Action Against Hunger, an International Non-Governmental Organisation working in Borno State, to rescue her before she is “killed like other abductees like Alice and Leah Sharibu”.

According to Mrs. Sharibu, “no matter how long it takes, my hope is still alive that my daughter will come back alive from Boko Haram. I still look forward to that day and I am confident that she will return”.

Mrs. Sharibu revealed that she had not even seen the video in circulation.

She reiterated her call to President Muhammadu Buhari to do everything to rescue her daughter, just as she also appealed to the people holding her daughter in captive to release her unconditionally.

Her words: “I am bothered by the recent silence about my daughter’s case, but I still want to cry to the President. I want our President Buhari to know that my eyes are still wet with tears over my daughter’s abduction. I will continue to cry to him, until my daughter returns to me.

“I also want to still appeal to the people that are holding my daughter to please have mercy on her and release her without any condition. She does not know anything. What has she done to deserve what she is going through?”

Our correspondent, who monitored the video reported that Grace, the only woman in a group of six captives, appeared in a video that was allegedly released by Boko Haram where she called on the authorities to save them from their abductors who she referred to as the “Army of Khalifa”.

The address of Grace in the video as monitored by our reporter reads: “My name is Grace, I work with Action Against Hunger, an NGO in Borno state. My base is in Borno State. We went to work on Thursdays on the 18/7/2019 out of Damasak. On our way going back to Damasak by kinari, Chmbawa ward in Damasak, we were caught by these army called the Khalifas. They brought us here. But actually, we don’t know where we are but this minute, I want to beg on CAN, Christian Association of Nigeria because I am the only Christian among the six of us here. I want to beg that CAN should please do something about me to see how I can be released.

“I also want to beg the Action Against Hunger, Borno State. We are six here, all of us are staff, we went to work and we were caught on our way back from work. I beg ACF, we have families, and some of us have children. I am begging ACF that they should please do something that they will release us.

“I also want to count on Nigerians – our nation, we are Nigerians and we are also working for Nigerian. I beg that Nigerian Government should please. I am begging again please do something to see that we are released. Because this has occurred before in Red Cross where some ladies, Hauwa and Deborah were caught.

“They also asked to be released but because Nigeria did not do anything about it, they were killed. I am begging on behalf of all of us here that Nigerian should not allow such a thing to happen to us.

”It also happened again with Leah and Alice and because Nigeria could not do anything about them, they were not released. They were killed. I beg that Nigeria and our Organisation Action Against Hunger should do something and see that we are released.”