There are so many issues competing for attention this weekend. The story of consensus challenges plaguing the ruling party's primary is worth discussing. Even the defiance in the ancient city of Ibadan, which the iconic J.P. Clark once described as the 'running splash of rust and gold – flung and scattered among seven hills like broken china in the sun', where Seyi Makinde scorned defection to the land flowing with milk and honey, is also topical. The three-year relentless attack on Citizen Peter Obi and his movement is worth deconstructing. The BUA chairman's homily at the CEO and Leaders Colloquium in Kigali is a relevant discussion point. Even our leader's call on African leaders to be constructive with foreign investors is a construct worth examining. Besides, the 'constructive collaboration' of the new PDP with the ruling party in Port Harcourt, on the watch of the man I portrayed as 'an untouchable genius', should not be ignored. What of the 'deregulation', sorry 'separation of powers' of the Office of National Security Advisers (ONSA) this week? That is a big story. But I have decided to follow up on the story of our shared humanity: the 2018 story of The Guardian's goddess of resistance, Citizen Leah Sharibu, who turned 23 in the captivity of the wicked this week.
A Conscience Stirring
It is another time to stir the conscience of the nation and the world that Nigeria's leaders have failed Citizen Leah since 2018. The Church of God in Nigeria appears to have forgotten their 'Daughter of Zion' in the valley. The mainstream media too appears weary of reporting the struggle for Leah's release. This week, only Vanguard published a fitting anniversary story by Efe Onodjae. What of the CSOs? Only the Para-Mallam Peace Foundation and 'Friends of Leah Sharibu', a women's group led by Mrs. Grace Osifekun, remembered Citizen Leah through some media events. More power to Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam, who have continued to organize remembrance activities on Leah's datelines. Hearty cheers to Mrs. Osifekun and her group. As for me, I will continue to prioritize advocacy for her release. I won't stop writing and talking about her until something happens.
Disappointing Response from Security Chief
I met a top national security chief recently and raised the issue of Leah's travail in captivity since 2018. His response was disappointing. He told me that Leah was no longer interested in her freedom and had been assimilated into the wilderness of the wicked, where she is said to have given birth to children against her will. This reveals what security chiefs must be telling the commander-in-chief in the absence of regular agitation by the First Ladies of Nigeria, the Ministers of Defence, Interior, and Women Affairs, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the Adamawa State Government, and others. Even Reno Omokri, now an ambassador-designate, has forgotten about Citizen Leah Sharibu, despite once spending money to write a book about her. The original Omokri was a patriot who researched Leah's roots and reported that the Sharibus hail from Adamawa State. He also revealed that Leah's father was still serving in the Nigeria Police Force when his daughter was abducted, which is what took the family to Yobe State, where the abduction occurred. Even the then Peace Ambassador Omokri has left Leah in the lurch.
Prayers and Advocacy
The Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Peace Foundation celebrated Leah's birthday this week with prayers. Their invitation letter was inspiring: 'Dear Friend and Partner, When the world forgets the captive, heaven still hears their name. Every prayer lifted for Leah is a refusal to surrender hope, justice, and the dignity of human life. At just 14 years old, Leah Sharibu was abducted alongside other schoolgirls in Dapchi, Nigeria. Eight years later, she remains in captivity. On the 14th of May 2026, Leah turns 23. While many have moved on, we refuse to forget. We refuse to be silent. We believe prayer still matters, justice still matters, and Leah's life still matters. We invite you to join believers, peace advocates, and concerned people from around the world for a special virtual prayer gathering in honour of Leah Sharibu and in continued hope for her release. This will be a moment of intercession, reflection, solidarity, and renewed commitment to stand for truth, peace, freedom, and human dignity.' Then Mrs. Grace Osifekun's group took over, as recorded by Vanguard: 'Leah Sharibu at 23: Women's group seeks to keep her story alive. Today, Leah Sharibu turns 23, a painful reminder of the years stolen from a young girl whose only offence was refusing to renounce her Christian faith. Since her abduction by insurgents from Government Girls' Science and Technical College, Dapchi, in 2018, Leah's story has become a symbol of courage, resilience, and the continuing tragedy of insecurity and religious persecution in Nigeria. While many of her classmates regained freedom, Leah remains in captivity, her absence weighing heavily on the nation's conscience. To ensure her story is not forgotten, a group of concerned women under the auspices of Friends of Leah Sharibu is marking her 23rd birthday with renewed advocacy and public engagement. Speaking to Vanguard during an advocacy visit, the women, led by Mrs. Grace Osifekun, said the campaign aims to remind government, civil society, and the international community that Leah is still in captivity and must not be abandoned to silence or fading public attention. She said every passing birthday is both a heartbreaking milestone and a renewed opportunity to demand urgent action for her release.'
Leah's Symbolism and Government Inaction
Whether politicians jostling for election and re-election like it or not, Leah has become a symbol of persecution of Christians. Many others have been abducted, kidnapped, and even killed, but Leah stands out. Her case is unique because she stood her ground and refused to deny her faith. So, as we shout 24 hearty cheers to a jihadist captive on May 14, 2026, I reiterate my appeal to the Nigerian government and the international community to end their unfathomable silence and help secure the young lady's release. Recall that in February 2020, Leah's mother, Mrs. Rebecca Sharibu, raised concerns about the federal government's commitment to securing her daughter's release. Speaking in an interview with the Hausa Service of the BBC in London, she noted serious doubts about the government's willingness. The Guardian (Nigeria) had in 2018 named Citizen Leah as its 'Person of the Year'. Leah had in a clear audio message in 2018 begged President Muhammadu Buhari, as a father, to come to her rescue. However, the government said the clip would be verified. On Wednesday, October 3, 2018, Buhari reportedly consoled Leah's family and assured her parents that the government would do its utmost for her safety. He told Mrs. Sharibu: 'I convey my emotion, the strong commitment of my administration, and the solidarity of all Nigerians to you and your family as we will do our best to bring your daughter home in peace and safety.' Despite this assurance, the albatross still hangs on the neck of Abuja, as the girl, said to have given birth to two babies in captivity, is still held in an unknown forest.
Continued Advocacy
On many occasions, notably at quarterly security briefings at the National Intelligence Agency headquarters in Abuja, I raised the grave implications of the continued silence of state actors on the safety and whereabouts of the only Christian girl from the Dapchi tragedy. Barely a week after the appointment of Malam Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser in June 2023, in a chance meeting with media executives in Lagos, I raised the thorny issue of the Leah Sharibu challenge. The NSA, who also hails from Adamawa State, promised to deal with the reproach quickly. Yet, there has been no update from the NSA's office on the plight of the unlucky girl. It is incredibly reproachful that Nigeria's 'goddess of resistance to terror' is still held hostage. This ugly reality is a monumental embarrassment, because the child Leah had even cried out to her father of the nation, President Buhari, to rescue her. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should note that the story of Leah Sharibu's capture and continued detention by Boko Haram insurgents, due to her refusal to renounce her faith, is a national tragedy that won't fizzle out until the girl is released. Leah's defiance echoes a bright message of love, selflessness, courage, and hope to our nation. The goddess of resistance to terror should be treated anywhere as the number one soldier on the frontline in defence of Nigeria's now fragile unity, peace, and progress. She is a true heroine who should be nominated by stakeholders and foundations for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Appeal to First Lady and Others
I repeat my appeal to our First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, who has been acknowledged as a respected woman of faith by even the United States President, Hurricane Donald Trump, to step into the Leah Sharibu reproach to the nation. In the same vein, the Women Affairs Minister, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, unarguably Leah's most prominent father in Adamawa; and the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, another significant citizen of Adamawa, should work with the very influential First Lady to ensure that this administration celebrates very soon the return of Citizen Leah Sharibu and other missing girls. If the Tinubu administration can remove this albatross from the neck of the Federal Government, Christian communities worldwide would join Nigeria in hailing this administration for their commitment to peace building and reconciliation in Nigeria, as I noted in March this year.
