Daniel Auta, the pastor in charge of the ECWA church where Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi girl detained by Boko Haram for being a Christian, worships has said that the church is missing her.
According to Auta, the 65-member parish is missing the commitment of the 10-year-old girl, especially in the choir department where she was an active member before her kidnap.
“Leah was an active member of the choir in the church and an active member of all youth programmes in the church. She is very committed to her faith and church activities. She does not joke with her midweek prayers and bible studies.
“She is a great source of encouragement and inspiration to the choir and the youth in the church. Her absence has even weakened the entire choir as well as affected the morale of the church in Dapchi. But we remain strong, praying for her safe return from the hands of the insurgents.
“We have been fasting and praying since the day she was abducted, and we will not stop until she returns. As the scriptures say, He that is in Leah is greater than he that is in the world.”
Recall that Boko Haram had stormed the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi in Yobe State on February 19, after which 110 girls were declared unaccounted for.
However, 105 of the girls were returned on March 21, but the dreaded group refused to release Sharibu on account of refusing to convert from Christianity to Islam.
But Pastor Auta added, “If it is for this reason that the insurgents are holding her, they should release her unconditionally without further delay.”
Auta also expressed displeasure at the pace of the Federal Government’s efforts to rescue Sharibu.
“I am personally not satisfied with the efforts so far put in place for the release of our daughter the same way the other girls were released to their parents.
“They should hasten up. The delay is becoming too long. Something needs to be done fast to secure this girl’s freedom and bring her life back to normal,” he noted.