Leah Sharibu’s mother marks her 22nd birthday

Rebecca Sharibu, the mother of Leah Sharibu, the Christian schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in 2018, has once again marked her daughter’s birthday in grief and unanswered questions, as Leah turned 22 on May 14, 2025 — her seventh birthday in captivity.

Leah, then 14, was one of 110 girls kidnapped from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, in Yobe State, during a raid by the terror group on February 19, 2018. While most of the girls were released within weeks following negotiations between the federal government and the insurgents, Leah was held back — allegedly for refusing to convert to Islam.

Since then, there has been no verifiable update on her whereabouts or condition, despite repeated calls by local and international rights groups, churches, diplomats, and civil society organisations demanding her release. Leah has come to symbolise the enduring plight of Christian minorities and abducted girls in Nigeria’s troubled North-East.

In a new video shared on Thursday by Open Doors UK, a Christian advocacy group supporting persecuted Christians globally, Rebecca Sharibu spoke with a mixture of hope and anguish. Dressed in modest traditional attire, she recounted the pain of living through seven consecutive birthdays without her daughter.

“I can’t describe the depth of my sorrow,” she said in Hausa, her voice trembling. “Each passing year has been like a blade to the heart. I remember the laughter in our home, how Leah would sing and study hard. Now, there’s only silence.”

Mrs. Sharibu, however, said her faith in God remained unshaken. “I still believe God can bring her back. I have not given up. I will never give up.”

The distraught mother urged the global community, the Nigerian government, and all people of faith not to forget her daughter and others still held in captivity across conflict-ridden parts of the country. She called for renewed efforts to pressure the authorities into fulfilling their promise to secure Leah’s release.

“We hear of negotiations and peace talks, but nothing changes for us. My daughter is not free. I appeal to everyone—pray for Leah, speak for her, remember her,” she said.

Leah’s case has attracted significant international attention over the years. In 2020, then-US President Donald Trump reportedly asked President Muhammadu Buhari directly about her during a bilateral meeting. In the same year, she was honoured by the US State Department with the International Religious Freedom Award.

Despite occasional claims — some unverified — about her status, including reports that she had been married off and had children, there has been no independent confirmation. The Nigerian government has repeatedly stated that efforts are ongoing to secure her release, but little progress appears to have been made.

As Leah turned 22 this week, hashtags such as #FreeLeahSharibu and #BringBackLeah resurfaced on social media, with activists, faith leaders, and concerned Nigerians calling on the Tinubu administration to prioritise her case and provide closure for a family long trapped in anguish.

For Rebecca Sharibu, every May 14 is a day that blends remembrance with renewed pain — a mother’s lonely vigil, in hopes that one day her daughter will walk back through the door.