If claims by Grace Taku, an Action Against Hunger worker who was kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents on July 18, 2019 are true, then Leah Sharibu is dead.
In a video that is going viral on social media, a young woman pleads for help from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the generality of Nigerians. She sits on the floor with her five male colleagues, hostages of the Boko Haram terrorists.
As the only Christian captive in the group, Grace is scared her fate would be like Leah’s, a Christian girl from Yobe State who was among 110 Dapchi schoolgirls abducted in February 2018 but whose release couldn’t be secured. The claim is Leah has been killed along with Alice, an aid worker.
“I am begging on behalf of all of us. I don’t want such to happen to us and it also happened again with Leah and Alice because Nigeria could not do anything about them, they were not released, they were also killed,” Grace said in a video that has been confirmed by Action Against Hunger to be genuine.
But in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Thursday, the Presidency said the video has created more urgency for security to act quickly to rescue abducted workers, including Leah Sharibu.
The Presidency could not, however, confirm or deny the killing of Leah Sharibu, but disclosed that “efforts were on to free the aid workers, including Leah Sharibu”.
The Presidency said it has been briefed “by the responsible government agency about the disturbing video showing our citizens, the humanitarian aid workers held captive”, adding it has been given assurances that contact is being made and the captors are being talked to.
The Presidency said discussions have been ongoing even before this time, adding that “what this latest incident has done is to bring urgency to the efforts that the secret service is making”.
In the video, Grace whose base is at Damasak, Borno State, said she and her co-workers were ambushed by members of the militia on their way to Damasak by Keneri-Chamba ward.
“We were caught by an army called the Kaliphas and they brought us here and we don’t know where we are,” she said.
Grace makes a passionate appeal to CAN and her organisation, Action Against Hunger, to help secure their release.
“I beg Action Against Hunger. We have families, and some of us have children. I am begging Action Against Hunger that they should do something to secure our release,” she pleaded.
According to Grace, this is not the first time aid workers have been kidnapped.
“Some ladies were caught, Hauwa and Zipporah. They asked to be released but because Nigeria did not do anything about it, they were killed,” she said.
The Non-Governmental Organisation has acknowledged the video in a press statement in which it condemned the abduction and called for the release of its workers.
“Action Against Hunger strongly requests that our staff member and her companions are released,” the organisation said.
“They are humanitarians and health workers and they chose to dedicate their lives to support the most vulnerable communities in Nigeria. They were only in pursuit of solidarity, humanity and neutrality,” it said.
TONY AILEMEN, Abuja, & SEGUN ADAMS, Lagos
