By EMMANUEL OGEBE

Two weeks later exactly 1 month after the abduction the Muslim girls were returned but Leah was not.

What does that tell you?

That this is predictable, the people who are doing this are known and every month in Northern Nigeria Christian girls are abducted; not by terrorists alone but by their own Muslim neighbours.

And even in the same village, you can see your daughter but cannot have access to her. That happened to Habiba in Katsina in 2016 and till today she has not come back. They even brought her to NTA here in Abuja and showed her and took her back and the father could not see his daughter till today.

And so, I will say two things as I close.

Firstly, the same way Leah has been in captivity for 5yrs, we as a nation we have been in captivity for 8yrs and we have the chance to free ourselves on Saturday. So we are giving bad leaders six days quit notice – leave our country and let us move in Jesus’ name!

The final thing I want to say is this: There’s a congressman in United States, Chris Smith. He and I have traveled to Nigeria several times to see victims. And he said that why he loves Leah is this, that Peter the disciple of Jesus Christ who Jesus called the rock, he denied Christ in front of a small girl but a small girl Leah stood for Christ in front of armed terrorists. That’s the testimony of Leah that we are following today.

That’s why myself and Reverend Williams for the past three years, every year in February we come to Nigeria to stand with Leah.

And so I want to thank all of you for coming today, you’re tired but you came out, there’s no cash but you came out to stand with a modern day heroine of the faith.

And so may the Lord set us free and Leah free in the mighty name of Jesus.

•Being transcript of International Human Rights Lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe’s remarks at Leah Sharibu’s 5^th Anniversary in captivity service in Abuja.

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