The family of abducted Dapchi schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to secure the release of their daughter from the captivity of Boko Haram terrorists.
They made the call while addressing a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
The briefing held ahead of the one year anniversary of Leah’s abduction by a faction of the Boko Haram sect – Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Leah’s mother, Rebecca Sharibu, who spoke in Hausa broke down in tears as she called for her daughter’s release.
She appealed to the President to make good his promise of ensuring that her daughter was freed from the custody of her abductors.
Another member of the family, Gloria Puldu, explained that the press briefing was called to remind Nigerians and the entire world that their daughter has not been released by her abductors.
Gloria said, “We as a family decided to call for the press briefing to ask everyone not to forget Leah because Leah is still in captivity.
“In less than eight days now, she will be spending one year in captivity if she is not released before then.
“Leah is in captivity because she refused to renounce her faith. Please, Leah should be set free, Leah should not be allowed to be killed in captivity,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has faulted the report that Leah had died in captivity.
Addressing reporters on Sunday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, he said, “It’s absolutely fake news. There is nothing like that.”
The minister, however, alleged that the report was an alleged plot by the political opposition to tarnish the image of the Muhammadu Buhari administration ahead of the general elections.
Leah is one of the over 100 schoolgirls abducted by the insurgents in February 2018 from the Government Girls Secondary School, Dapchi in Yobe State.
Weeks after the abduction, the other girls were released while Leah was kept in captivity by the terrorists reportedly for refusing to renounce Christianity.
She was the only Christian among the girls.
On August 27, 2018, an audio clip emerged in which the abducted schoolgirl pleaded with the President to help her regain freedom.
In the clip, the 15-year-old also sought help for her family and asked the government to treat a case with passion.
