03/29/2018
Kidnapped because of their religious belief: Don’t forget the Christian girl from Nigeria!
There must be more efforts to set kidnapped schoolgirl free – criticism of an amnesty offer for terrorist group Boko Haram (Press Release)
Many Christians in Nigeria see the kidnapped schoolgirl as a martyr, because the 15-year-old decided to stick to her Christian faith and refused to convert to Islam to be set free. Photo: Amanda Voisard via UN Photo
On occasion of the Easter holidays, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) would like to draw attention to the fate of the Christian school pupil Leah Sharibu from Nigeria, who was kidnapped by the radical Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram. There should be more efforts to have her released. “Many Christians in Nigeria see the kidnapped schoolgirl as a martyr, because the 15-year-old decided to stick to her Christian faith and refused to convert to Islam to be set free. Her fate is exemplary for many Christians who are being persecuted in Nigeria,” said Ulrich Delius, the STP’s director, in Göttingen on Maundy Thursday. “The Nigerian government must go to more efforts to have her released – urgently! However, there should be no amnesty for such crimes – as was offered to the Boko Haram fighters. There must be no impunity for crimes against humanity!”
Leah Sharibu is one of the 116 girls who were abducted from a school in Dapchi by Boko Haram fighters on February 19, 2018. At least five girls were killed in the hostage-taking. 110 Muslim students have since been released by Boko Haram. Leah is said to be held hostage until she converts to Islam.
The Christian lay organization “Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)” called for worldwide prayers for the kidnapped Christian schoolgirl on Good Friday, and the Catholic Bishop Emmanuel Badejo from Oyo and the Muslim non-governmental organization “Muslim Rights Concern” demanded her immediate release. Also, the Congress of Northern Nigerian Christians (CNNC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to do everything in his power to have her released.
“It would be wrong to grant the Boko Haram fighters impunity,” Delius criticized the government's recent offer to the terrorist group. “Boko Haram has brought so much fear and terror to Muslims and Christians in northeastern Nigeria. This must have legal consequences. However, we welcome all political steps towards a sustainable solution to conflict – which has been going on since 1999. “On March 25, 2018, the Nigerian Information Minister Lai Mohammed confirmed that the government has been negotiating with Boko Haram for quite some time.
Header Photo: UN Photo/Amanda Voisard via Flickr
