UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW will lead a protest outside the Nigerian High Commission in London on 19th February, marking a year since schoolgirl Leah Sharibu was abducted from her highschool in Nigeria by terror group Boko Haram.
Some 110 girls were taken from the school but while all of her classmates were released the following month, the 14-year-old Sharibu – the only Christian among the girls – was not released after she refused to convert as a pre-condition of her freedom. In September last year, Boko Haram released a statement saying it had executed aid worker Hauwa Leman and that Sharibu and Christian aid worker Alice Ngaddah will be kept as slaves.
The protest, which will run from 9am to 5pm, will highlight calls for the Nigerian Government to expedite the release of both women as well as the more than 100 girls kidnapped from their school in Chibok in April, 2014, who are still being held by Boko Haram. A petition will be delivered to the High Commission.
Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of CSW, said the organisation was “deeply concerned” by the lack of government action to secure Sharibu’s release.
“We continue to call on the government of Nigeria to do everything in its power to expedite the release of this courageous schoolgirl, alongside that of her fellow hostages. We also call on the government of Nigeria to ensure that the army is sufficiently equipped to combat Boko Haram effectively, particularly in light of the surge in activity by both factions, and their threat to undermine the electoral process.”
Elections which were scheduled to be held in Nigeria last weekend were postponed for a week after the electoral commission cited logistical problems.
Thomas also urged Nigerian authorities to ensure the elections are fair and free from violence.
“We urge the government not to resort to lethal force against those suspected of interfering with the vote, and to follow due process by arresting them and bringing them to trial. We also urge all those in positions of power in Nigeria to foster unity and to refrain from resorting to statements that divide already fragile communities and further damage the social fabric.”
