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Summary
Leah Sharibu turned 22 on May 14, 2025, marking her seventh year in Boko Haram captivity as her mother continues to seek justice and calls for global support.
Ms. Rebecca Sharibu, mother of Leah Sharibu, the Christian schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram in 2018, has marked her daughter’s 22nd birthday, celebrated on May 14, 2025. The occasion is a solemn reminder of Leah’s seventh year in captivity.
Leah was among 110 students kidnapped on February 19, 2018, from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State. While most of the girls were released shortly after, Leah was reportedly held back for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
In a video message shared on May 15, 2025, through Open Doors UK’s Instagram page, Ms. Rebecca expressed deep sorrow over her daughter’s prolonged absence. She reflected on the pain of not seeing her daughter since she was 14, and described the separation as “deeply distressing.”
She recalled Leah’s last birthday, celebrated at home in 2017, saying,
“I sang for her, ‘Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.’ I sang for her, and she was happy and she laughed. She was happy. That was the last birthday we celebrated for her at home.”
Despite the years of silence, Ms. Rebecca Sharibu affirmed her continued faith in Leah’s homecoming. She also called on the global community to remember Leah and others who remain in captivity due to their religious beliefs, urging prayers and continued advocacy for justice.
