'Does the World Know? Do They Care?' 15-Y-O Christian Girl Leah Sharibu Days Away From Execution
The parents of Christian schoolgirl Leah Sharibu are making a last-minute appeal to save their daughter from execution at the hands of terrorists.
Sharibu, along with a young nurse midwife by the name of Saifura Khorsa, is nearing the end of the 30-day warning issued by Nigerian terror group Boko Haram.
"Now we watch in horror as she, and the other women and girls with her, are led before the jihadist firing squads — or worse," said Founding Coalition member and Save the Persecuted Christians Director Dede Laugesen in a statement shared with The Christian Post.
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"Does the world even know? Do they care? Where is the outcry for Saifura? For Leah? For all the other women and girls with them? As American Christians, we can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening worldwide to our brothers and sisters," Laugesen declared.
The Sept. 16 video in question showed the execution of 25-year-old Saifura Husseini Ahmed, another midwife with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
A radical with Boko Haram said in the self-titled "message of blood" that unless the Nigerian government stops ignoring the group's written and audio messages, "the other nurse and midwife will be executed in similar manner in one month, including Leah Sharibu."
Christian groups around the world have been advocating for Sharibu's release ever since she was taken in a mass raid by the terror group in February. The 15 year old has refused to renounce her faith in Jesus Christ in order to be granted her freedom, and is in danger of being put to death for her decision.
International Christian Concern, another persecution watchdog group, also pointed out that the deadline for Sharibu's release is fast approaching.
ICC noted that Boko Haram hasn't made its specific demands public.
"Despite this threat and new information, the government still has not contacted Leah's family at any point and have not acted on it," ICC noted.
"Leah remains in captivity and we hope to see her released prior to the deadline."
The girl's parents have said that the Nigerian government has yet to let them know what it's doing to try and save their daughter, though Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has said efforts are going on behind the scenes.
"Unfortunately, since the abduction of our daughter, no government official in Nigeria has contacted us or even let us know the effort the government is making toward the release of my daughter," said Nathan Sharibu, Leah's father, last month.
Para-Mallam, a person described as a close family friend in a Naija.ng article, meanwhile shot down reports that Sharibu has already been released.
"For the avoidance of doubt, I hereby wish to categorically state that Leah Sharibu has not yet been released. Our consistent hope and prayer is that she should be released as soon as possible," the family friend said.
"I'm issuing this statement as a very close friend of the Sharibu family who has been and is still in very close contact with them, that as at this morning (8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 5), these wild and misleading reports about her release are false and should be disregarded. Please let us continue to pray for Leah and her release, her family and Nigeria as a whole. Thank you and God bless," Para-Mallam added.
