"Renounce Jesus or Die"
Leah, a bright 14-year-old girl, was living with her family in Dapchi, Nigeria... until the morning of February 19th, 2018.
Leah was at school when her village was attacked by jihadist militant terrorists, Boko Haram.
She was abducted and brought into captivity along with 109 other classmates of hers. They were forced to cram into vehicles and unfortunately five of the girls were killed by being suffocated and trampled amidst the chaos.
Leah has not been released, because she refuses to renounce her Christian faith and embrace Islam.
Because of her initial rebuffs to renounce her faith, the terrorist leadership brought other captives in front of her and slit their throats in front of her so she could watch them die. They wanted to strike fear into her and to show their level of resolve. We heard from credible sources that they said, “if you do not renounce your faith you will die like them.” Even still she chose Jesus over Islam.
Because of her refusal, she remained in captivity. Leah knew she would be denied her freedom, but still, she bravely spoke up for her beliefs. She said "No!" even in the face of danger, captivity, and oppression.
During my time in Nigeria in 2019 as a missionary, we met in secret with 14 of the young girls (ages 9-17) who were captured by the very same terrorist group, Boko Haram, who had beaten, raped, abused, and brutalized these girls during their captivity with Leah. At the time, one of the young girls still had not been released because she refused to recant her faith... and that girl was named Leah Sharibu. The others have either been rescued by other organizations and nations, or they had been killed.
We learned that a massive anonymous donation was paid in the sum of $10 million dollars for their safe release out of captivity.
Keep praying for the release of Leah Sharibu
To learn more about Leah’s story visit: https://www.leah-foundation.org
Get Involved: https://www.leah-foundation.org/get_involved
In the News:
Sen. Ted Cruz Joins Rebecca Sharibu in Renewing Calls for Boko Haram to Release Leah Sharibu