Leah Sharibu: One year after

LEAH Sharibu’s name now evokes feelings of pity, frustration and anger. She has been in the custody of Boko Haram terrorists for one year already, and there is no concern from any quarters that has been acknowledged by her captors. She was part of the contingent of Dapchi Secondary School girls abducted from their hostel by members of the terrorist group. Strangely, her mates were returned afterwards but she was retained by the terrorist captors allegedly for refusing to be an apostate by denouncing her Christian faith.

For a teenager, the trauma of being held captive by terrorists is enough to blight her potential and development for life. If the experiences of the Chibok girls are anything to go by, her plight is any parent’s nightmare, as many of the Chibok girls returned home as mothers having been sexually abused by their captors. That certainly could not have been the desire of either the parents or they themselves. Since the mission of Boko Haram is to discourage western education, targeting school girls can be understood as part of its reprehensible advocacy.

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The girls so captured are converted to sex slaves and it bothers many that such barbarism could still fester in this day and time in the country as a result of poor and  ineffective governance. The Boko Haram of the period of Sharibu’s abduction was before the introduction of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP). It remains unclear what negotiations have been made by the government with  the terror group regarding Leah Sharibu’s safety even if it continues to assure the people that she will be returned to her parents. However, after a year in the terrorists’ den, hope has started waning regarding her future.

It is unfortunate that citizens like Leah  Sharibu are allowed to mourn their woes privately even when the government is clearly implicated in their misfortune through the security lapses in the country. Elsewhere, the protection of life and property is the bounden duty of the state and it is held responsible for such lapses in such a way that a rescue mission becomes an imperative. Leah Sharibu was in school attending classes when she was abducted by Boko Haram. Her rescue is a Nigerian state duty and for her to remain in captivity for over a year now actually blights the reputation of the Nigerian state and its officials. It is irresponsible to abandon her to the devices of her captors. The spread of terror in the North-East is a result of poor and ineffective governance which breeds despondency and frustration among the people, especially the youths who lack purpose and are ready and willing to express their youthful energies and resilience in daredevilry.

The same poor and ineffective governance at the national level is responsible for her abandonment in the terrorists’ lair. It is sad and regrettable that the young lady is fast becoming a metaphor of the state failure which the country as a whole haemorrhages from. The Nigerian state should rise up to its responsibilities to citizens and breed patriotism among the youth population. Apparently, the Borno State government was found wanting in the Chibok girls episode and it is absurd to expect a more sterling performance now that only Leah Sharibu and a few others are involved. Nobody can be proud of a country that serially fails its citizens at the point when they need it most desperately.

Leah Sharibu’s continuing captivity is a reproach to  the country. The Federal Government must not be lackadaisical about such a national embarrassment. We call on the government to do all that is necessary to rescue her from her captors.