It was later learned that Leah refused to recite the Islamic declaration and wear the hijab, rejecting the militants’ demand to renounce her Christian faith.

Rebecca Sharibu, mother of Leah Sharibu—the only Christian ‘girl’ among the 110 students kidnapped by Boko Haram from Dapchi in 2018—has appealed to people around the world to pray for her daughter’s safe return as she marked Leah’s 22nd birthday and seventh in captivity.

Leah was abducted on February 19, 2018, from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State. While most of the girls were freed after what the Nigerian government called “back-channel” negotiations, Leah was held back.

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It was later learned that Leah refused to recite the Islamic declaration and wear the hijab, rejecting the militants’ demand to renounce her Christian faith. 

Her classmates told Rebecca that Leah said, “If they want to kill her, they can go ahead, but she won’t say she is a Muslim.”