Leah Sharibu’s Family Properties Stolen, Family Still Not Contacted By Government

The family of hostage Christian Schoolgirl Leah Sharibu faced another calamity yesterday as her home in Dapchi was broken into and the family’s belongings looted by thieves.

Leah’s Mother had just returned from dropping her only son at school for resumption only to discover the break in and theft of the families property including their generator set and food stuff. It is not immediately clear if Leah’s belongings were also stolen as she herself is in captivity and unable to verify.

It will be recalled that in April, the family also suffered bereavement with the loss of Leah’s grandmother’s brother which she remains unaware of being in captivity.

In an unrelated development, the family has disclosed that almost 7 months after her abduction, no government official from local, state or federal tiers has reached out to them over their missing daughter.

This was stated in a Voice of America interview after the release of the proof of life audio.

Ironically in the audio recording, Leah specifically pleaded with the general public to assist her family. The theft of their belongings is exactly the opposite of what she desired.

– We enjoin people of goodwill to support the family at this time

– We urge the government of Nigeria to brief the family on the status of their daughter’s release

– We ask the Christian Association of Nigeria to organize a national love offering for the Sharibus for October 1 Independence Services

– We commend British MP Tom Brake for jumpstarting the 200 hours vigil to mark 200 days of Leah’s captivity

– We reaffirm our commitment to support the family per Leah’s expressed wishes and are currently undertaking a needs assessment

– We call on the Victim Support Fund to assist the Sharibu family

Below is the Hausa interview on VOA Hausa and the Englisj translation

VOA Hausa: A special greetings to my listeners, i Grace Abdu wishing that you have a day full of grace and that your families are fine. If you are following us you will remember that last week we were discussing about how teenagers are being lured especially female teenagers to go to Saudi Arabia in order to enjoy life, but when on reaching to the country they will realised that, that is not how it is, we will owe you this as a debt for the continuity of this discussion next time because of this reason:

Leah: My name is Leah sharibu, who was kidnapped from G.S.S.T.C Dapchi, I am pleading to the government and people to help me and rescue me out of this situation that I am in, help my mother, my father and my younger brother and my relatives. Help me and rescue me out of this situation that I am in. I am pleading to you please help me and pity me and I am pleading to government and the president to pity me and rescue out of this situation I am in. Thank you.

VOA Hausa: This is a tape made by a News broadcast  company by name cable on Monday together with a picture which was said to be Leah, the only student from Dapchi secondary school who is still in captivity of the group called Boko Haram, after this tape, Leah’s mother who is by name Rebecca Sharibu after listening to the tape confirm that it is her daughter’s voice and she said:

Rebecca Sharibu: I am Leah’s mother who was kidnapped since on nineteenth of February, and today Leah is up to six months and ten days today then by God’s divine arrangement we heard her voice today actually we are very happy, at the beginning when I hear how she is pleading, I start shedding tears, but later on I took courage and start giving thanks to God, up to six months we never hear her voice we are so eagerly waiting for her to call us and hear her voice but no way and today God make it possible for us to hear voice. We confirm that she is among the living and prayer is working, I am pleading to you and to the president as she pled, she pled for help, to help her out of the situation she is in. We too our plead to the president Buhari to rescue our daughter and we are very grateful to all the Christians in Nigeria and to all the Christians in the whole world for praying for us, may the Lord God encourage us all.

VOA Hausa: In our discussion with Leah’s father by name Nathaniel Sharibu confirms that the voice in this tape is his daughter’s voice, I went further and asked him on how he first come to know that this tape is produced and he disclose that:

Nathaniel Sharibu: It was my friends who first sent it to me and I by myself searched it on Internet, I am very happy for the video of my daughter that I saw.

VOA Hausa: What have you watched and heard about what you are talking about?

Nathaniel Sharibu: I heard that she is in good health and she is pleading to the government to rescue her from the situation she is in and I too encourage that because that is my concerns and I am pleading to government to please take a quick step to rescue my daughter.

VOA Hausa: So Mr Sharibu you know your daughter very well, base on how you listen to her voice and the way you saw her picture, what will you discuss about her health or the way you new her?

Nathaniel Sharibu: Actually this is my daughter Leah, she is the one but you know that the place she is, there is sufferings not as if she is with me and she will not get enough food to eat but actually this is Leah my daughter, it is her picture and her voice.

VOA Hausa: Okay, now how old is Leah?

Nathaniel Sharibu: Leah is fifteen years old, she turned to fifteen years on the 14/5/2018.

VOA Hausa: Fifteen years but before people were saying she is 17 years she is heading to 18years, so she hasn’t  even reach 15years then?

Nathaniel Sharibu: She reached, I mean 14/5/2018 she turned to 15years, we even celebrate her 15year birthday

VOA Hausa: Okay what I mean is that at the time she was kidnapped she hasn’t reach 15years.

Nathaniel Sharibu: No she hasn’t reach then.

VOA Hausa: Okay base on the little she said, she pled to people to help her and her family, what will you say about her family  at home?

Nathaniel Sharibu: Yeah, actually the family are so disturbed because of Leah’s absence in that family, so I am pleading to people to continue to pray because there prayers towards that family is helping us and let them please talk to the government so that she will be release and come back and join her family.

VOA Hausa: So since the return of her fellow students, did the securities get in touch with you whether of the state security or federal security about your daughter’s issue of being the captive in the hand of Boko Haram?

Nathaniel Sharibu: Since when they take this children from the school the principal of the school, the chairman of Dapchi, the state government of Yobe and the federal government of Nigeria non of them ask me about this issue up till now non among them ask me about this girl.

VOA Hausa: So you as her father did you ever try to ask securities about your daughter’s captivity in the hand of her captors.

Nathaniel Sharibu: I talked on media, news papers and other medium to help me talk to this people and truly news papers producers, Christians and Muslims do their best that they can but non of them ask me about her.

VOA Hausa: Okay, but the federal government said that they are trying to see that she is back but even to that fact non of the security has ever ask you of to show that government has not forgotten about your daughter and they are trying to rescue her?

Nathaniel Sharibu: Non of them has ever tell me but I usually hear that they are trying to rescue her but as her father no officially call to tell me that this is what we are planning in order to rescue your daughter.

VOA Hausa: Let say if president Buhari is listening to this discussion at this pointing time what will you call his attention for or what message will you like to tell him?

Nathaniel Sharibu: I am calling his attention as a father to Leah let him help for the release of this girl as fellow students were rescued, let him try his best to see that she has been set free as her fellow students were because she is not the only student that was kidnapped.

VOA Hausa: Okay, Mr Sharibu we are very grateful if there’s any improvement we will continue to get in touch with you.

Nathaniel Sharibu: I am very grateful too for the effort you put on this issue Amen and Amen.

VOA Hausa: The group called Boko Haram kidnapped Leah Sharibu together with other students of a secondary school Dapchi on the 19/2/2018, 104 students were returned on the month of March, the students that were  released disclose that five of the students died because of the suffering they face when they were kidnapped but they didn’t release Leah because she refused to denounce her faith in Chris to Islam, the federal government of Nigeria said that they didn’t pay any ransom for their release but UN revealed that millions of ransom was paid before there release, Dapchi girls were kidnapped four years later after 276 Chibok girls were kidnapped,  which more than hundred up till now nobody knows where they are and the situation they are in. We will continue to bring about the improvement of this issue,  this is what time allowed us to bring for you, when next week we come we will bring to you what comments we will have about this issue and we will try and hear what the government of Muhammadu Buhari will say about this issue.

I want to use this medium to wish to all who contribute to this discussion and Solomon Abo who help in the area of sound, I Alheri Abdu saying a well wishes to you all and don’t forget you can get in touch with us through our website Iyali about families any time and any where at VOA HAUSA.COM.