Nigerian Christian teenager captive of terrorists for two years, her condition still unknown

Thursday, February 20, 2020

(Worthy News) - Wednesday was the two-year anniversary of Nigerian teenager Leah Sharibu's kidnapping by the terrorist group Boko Haram, who enslaved her for life for her refusal to renounce Jesus.

The 14-year-old was kidnapped by the violent faction of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) that also took 109 other girls, five of whom died in captivity and 104 of whom were released a month later.

"Over many agonizing months for her family, it has been reported that Leah was alive, then killed in captivity, thought again to be alive and, most recently, that she is the mother of a newborn son," said Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC) Executive Director Dede Laugesen.

"Just last week, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari claimed the Nigerian government is committed to ensuring that every child taken by insurgents will be released. Two years after Leah was taken, the world wants to see action rather than talk," she said.

Even though it is not in the top ten of Open Doors USA's World Watch List, Nigeria is perhaps the most lethal place to be a Christian in the world, with 1,000 Christians killed last year alone and 6,000 killed since 2015, according to the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART).