Boko Haram militants freed the rest of a group of kidnapped schoolgirls on 21 March, but are still holding captive a Christian girl who refused to convert to Islam.
The girls were abducted on 19 February 2018 from a Government Science and Technical Secondary School in the town of Daptchi in north-east Nigeria. Around 70 were returned to Daptchi in the early hours of 21 March. ‘I don’t know why they brought us back, but they said because we are children of Muslims. One [girl] is still with them because she is a Christian,’ one of the released girls told journalists.
Thankful father
The Christian girl is understood to be 15-year-old Leah Sherubu. Her father has praised her faithfulness, stating: ‘I am grateful to God that my daughter refused to convert.’
Boko Haram has previously conducted targeted abductions of schoolchildren, including in Chibok in April 2014. Although many of the ‘Chibok girls’ have been released, over 100 are still thought to be held by Boko Haram.
Those who were released stated that during their captivity they were forcibly converted to Islam and married to Islamist militants.
Join hands with our Nigerian brothers and sisters to call on the Lord for protection for Leah. Pray for her swift release and that, despite her terrifying circumstances, she will know that nothing can separate her from the love of Christ (Romans 8.35). Pray also for the ‘Chibok girls’ still held in captivity, and for their parents.
