One Girl Remains: The Eight-Year Captivity That Shames the World

Faith Facts

• Leah Sharibu, now 22, has been held captive by Islamic extremists for eight years after refusing to renounce her Christian faith
• She was kidnapped at age 14 from a girls’ school in Nigeria’s Yobe state on February 19, 2018, along with 109 other students
• All other captives have been released, but Leah remains imprisoned solely because she will not deny Christ

The ongoing captivity of a young Christian woman in Nigeria stands as a powerful testament to faith under fire—and a damning indictment of international indifference to religious persecution. Leah Sharibu was just 14 years old when Islamic extremists stormed her school and took her, along with more than 100 other girls, into a nightmare that continues to this day.

Eight years have passed since that terrible February night in 2018. Every one of the 109 other girls kidnapped from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College in Dapchi has been released. But Leah Sharibu remains in captivity—not because she was forgotten in negotiations, but because she made a choice that honors God above all else.

The young woman refused to renounce her Christian faith. While her Muslim classmates were allowed to return home, Leah stood firm in her belief in Jesus Christ, even when it meant continued imprisonment, abuse, and separation from her family. Her courage has made her a symbol of Christian perseverance under persecution.

Now 22 years old, Leah has spent more than a third of her life in the hands of Boko Haram terrorists. Reports indicate she has been forced into marriage and has borne children in captivity. Her mother, Rebecca Sharibu, continues to plead for her daughter’s release, keeping Leah’s plight before the public eye despite years of disappointment.

Nigerian officials face mounting pressure to address what human rights advocates are calling a “horrifying” ordeal that represents the broader crisis facing Christian women and girls across the African nation. The targeting of Christian communities by Islamic extremist groups has created a humanitarian catastrophe that demands immediate international attention.

Nigeria has become one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a Christian. Thousands have been killed in recent years, with women and girls particularly vulnerable to kidnapping, forced conversion, and forced marriage to their captors. Leah Sharibu’s case is not isolated—it is emblematic of a systematic campaign of religious persecution.

The lack of decisive action from Nigerian authorities and the muted response from Western governments raises troubling questions about the value placed on Christian lives in the international community. Where is the outrage? Where are the sanctions, the diplomatic pressure, the military assistance that might bring this young woman home?

Leah’s steadfast faith challenges believers everywhere. At an age when most young women are finishing college, starting careers, and building their own families in freedom, she endures captivity rather than deny her Savior. Her witness speaks to the reality of Christian persecution in our time—a reality too often ignored by media and political leaders who should know better.

The Sharibu family deserves answers. They deserve action. Most of all, Leah deserves her freedom. Nigerian officials must be held accountable for their failure to secure the release of a young woman whose only “crime” was refusing to betray her faith.

As American Christians, we have a responsibility to advocate for our persecuted brothers and sisters worldwide. Leah Sharibu’s name should be on our lips in prayer daily. Her captivity should move us to pressure our own government to make religious freedom a non-negotiable priority in foreign policy.

Eight years is far too long. Every day Leah remains in captivity is another day that justice is denied and faith is tested. May God protect her, strengthen her, and ultimately deliver her from the hands of those who seek to break her spirit.

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