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Opinion: When Would Leah Sharibu Return?
By Eric Elezuo
When on February 19, 2018 the dreaded Boko Haram sect staged the kidnap of 110 students of Government Girls Science School. Dapchi, Yobe State, nobody expected that the heroine of the whole thing will be the then 15 year old Leah Sharibu. Even as the government of President Muhammadu Buhari negotiated the back channel release of the girls, there was no part reserved for Leah to play, but she finally took the scene by storm, and is today the preferred major character of the entire ‘script’.
On Tuesday, March 22, the terrorist ‘brought back’ 104 abducted schoolgirls with two others according to the presidency. Reports also claimed that five of the girls were dead and one, only one girl was not released. Her only crime was that she was a Christian, and had refused to be converted to Islam or wear the hijab.
This singular action brought a different twist to the well woven plot as not only Nigerian Christians reacted, but the world at large, making an emphatic demand for the unconditional release of the girl who has been described as spirited.
While lamenting his daughter’s continued stay as a captive in Boko Haram’s domain, Leah’s father praised her for refusing to denounce her faith, emphasizing how proud he is to be her father. The Christian world, on their part, has applauded her actions, saying it is only a true child of God that can call Boko Haram’s bluff right in their domain. The young girl chose to die rather than denying her Lord Jesus Christ – that was a feat not many so called acclaimed men of God and tongue talking brothers and sisters may be able to achieve. It is often said that it is in time of serious crisis where life is at stake that the real child of God could be known: Leah proved that she is a real child of God.
Her action has elicited a promise from the President that he will do everything possible to see that the lass returned home unhurt while the Christian sect are holding prayers on end for her safe return. Whatever happens at the end of the day, Leah has practically performed the whole duty of man which is encapsulated in ‘fear God’; she has paid her dues and shamed her detractors; she has stolen the show to the glory of God. It will not be forgotten also that she has affected a lot of lives, non-Christians too with her stern expression of belief even in an environment where she had no power to enforce anything. And many will begin to understand that there is more to living a pious life than meets the eye.
The world is waiting for her to return to be showered with encomiums and honour as that girl who was drafted for a ‘waka pass’ role but ended up becoming the lead character, the unexpected heroine of the whole Dapchi story.
But with the killing of two aide workers attached to the Red Cross society by the Boko Haram sect months after they were kidnapped at an IDP camp in Borno, fears have been raised as to her safety and safe return.
Consequently, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari must put every mechanism in motion to ensure she not returns, but return without scratches of any kind. As the government has promised, so must they do, at least for credibility sake. The world is watching!
In the same vein, even as President Buhari has constantly assured that the girl, who recently clocked 16 in the terrorists’ camp, will be returned, Nigerians, and of course the international community continue to ask: when would Leah Sharibu return?
Time, of course, is running out!
President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Americans want him to run for another term, a step banned by the US constitution but which he continues describing as possible.
“People are asking me to run,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the possibility of a third term.
“I don’t know. I never looked into it. They do say there’s a way you can do it, but I don’t know about that, but I have not looked into it,” Trump said.
Trump was asked about the prospect of a race pitting him against former president Barack Obama, who served two terms.
“That would be a good one, I’d like that,” Trump said.
“I’m not joking” about the idea of seeking a third term, Trump said Sunday in an interview with NBC News.
The 78-year-old Republican served from 2017 to 2021 and began his second term in the White House on January 20.
The first US president, George Washington, established a tradition by not seeking a third term after completing his second one in 1797.
But this tradition was not formally added to the US constitution until after World War II, with the ratification of the 22nd amendment in 1951.
It says no one can be elected president more than two times.
Publisher of The Boss Newspaper and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dele Momodu, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu not to “kill democracy in Nigeria.”
The appeal, which was made while Momodu was fielding questions during a live television show on Channel TV’s Morning Brief on Monday, was an aftermath of President Tinubu’s suspension of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the state House of Assembly for six months due to a political crisis in the state.
The journalist expressed his concern over Tinubu’s decision, which he described the move as “worse than dictatorship.”
He added that he was disappointed by the president’s actions, especially given Tinubu’s past fight for democracy.
Momodu stated, “I think it is very unfortunate. I know President Tinubu very, very, very well. Though I’ve not been in the same party [with him] and all that, we were together in exile, and he fought gallantly for this democracy,” he said.
“So a lot of us, co-comrades at that time, are actually very embarrassed that we have a pro-democracy leader in government, and yet what we are witnessing is worse than dictatorship.
“I’m pleading with President Bola Tinubu, ‘Please don’t kill democracy in Nigeria.’ Everybody who loves him will tell him this. I don’t; I’ve not asked him for anything or anything, but we love him for his contributions to the motivation in the back, which is what is going down the drain.”
He also warned that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was trying to intimidate the opposition, urging Tinubu not to be misled by those around him, adding that he does not need to intimidate anybody.
“I’m saying it now openly to millions of Nigerians that people are deceiving President Tinubu, and he should not allow people to deceive you,” he said.
“He should just do his job. The only thing that can guarantee a second time is to do your job well. You do not need to intimidate anybody.”
President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Sunday, joined others for prayers at the National Eid ground in Abuja, as Nigerian Muslims mark the Eid-El-Fitr celebrations together with millions of others around the world.
Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and some ministers also observed the prayer at the same venue.
Eid-El-Fitr, meaning the festival of breaking the fast, is a time of gratitude, charity and communal harmony.
It began with special prayers known as Eid prayers held in Mosques and open spaces. Following the prayers, families share festive meals, exchange gifts and extend warm greetings.
Eid is a time to remember those less fortunate and to strengthen the bond of brotherhood and sisterhood. A key component of Eid is Zakat al Fitr, a mandatory charitable donation intended to ensure everyone irrespective of their financial situation can participate in the joy of the celebration.
This act of giving embodies the spirit of compassion and solidarity that Ramdan emphasizes. From the elaborate feast of South Asia to the festive clothing of Nigeria and the African continent and the warm gatherings of the Middle East, Eid celebrations vary across cultures, showcasing the rich diversity of the Muslim world.
However, the underlining message of unity, gratitude and compassion remains universal.
Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf Arab states are celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday from today, but other Middle Eastern countries will not do so until Monday.
“The Supreme Court has decided that tomorrow, Sunday, March 30, 2025, is the first day of Eid al-Fitr,” the Saudi Royal Court said in a statement carried by official media.
The timing of the holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar.
The United Arab Emirates and Qatar also announced Sunday would be the first day of the holiday.
But neighbouring Oman and Jordan, as well as Shiite-majority Iran, said that Eid al-Fitr would not begin until Monday because the crescent moon had yet to be sighted. Egypt and other North African countries followed suit.
