The Federal Government of Nigeria has reiterated that it has left the return of Dapchi School girl Leah Sharibu abducted by Boko haram months ago.
This information was made known to the public by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, who said only God, was aware when Leah Sharibu the remaining Dapchi schoolgirl in captivity will regain her freedom.
Leah Sharibu had been abducted from a Government Secondary School in Dapchi town, North-east Nigeria alongside 114 others.
While the Federal Government was able to secure the release of about 100 abducted girls from the insurgents, Leah Sharibu was not among the rescued girls because she refused to convert from her religion Christianity to Islam according to reports by the Federal Government.
Since the return of the other girls however, Nigerians have been mounting pressure on the Nigerian Federal Government to secure the release of Leah Sharibu without much success.
Read: Feminism is Against God’s Established Order – Nigerian Woman
Mr. Adesina however broke the Presidency’s silence on the matter during a Tuesday morning interview on Channels Television‘s breakfast show Sunrise Daily.
While answering questions from Channels TV host, Maope Ogun Yusuf, Mr. Adesina said although the federal government was working behind the scenes for the rescue of Leah Sharibu, her return was up to God because he believed that God had an interest in the young girl.
According to Mr. Adesina;
“When will she be back? That question can only be answered by God, but I believe that God is interested in that young girl. The Government is working on and at it, and we believe she will be back”.
The Presidency’s godly convictions come on the heels of a widely circulated recording of Leah Sharibu crying for help and begging to be rescued by the Nigerian Government as well as her family.
Reacting to questions about the recording as well as the United Nations report that the Presidency paid a hefty sum for the release of the other Dapchi girls, Mr. Adesina said Leah Sharibu would not plead in vain.
“Early in the life of this administration, the President said that whatever it will take to bring back the Chibok girls back he will do including paying. The President is on record for having said that,” Mr. Adesina said in apparent reference to the UN report
He however went further to dismiss UN claims that Boko Haram was paid for the release of the Dapchi girls.
“For the release of Dapchi girls, there were no payments made,” he said.
Leah, who was reportedly held back by her abductors for refusing to renounce Christianity, has been in captivity for about six months; she was the only Christian in the group of abducted girls.