‘Save me’: Kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirl pleads for freedom

KANO, Nigeria: A Nigerian Christian schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram Jihadists has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to secure her release, local media said on Tuesday, citing a purported audio recording of the hostage.

Leah Sharibu, 15, was among more than 100 schoolgirls abducted from their hostel in the town of Dapchi in the restive northeast on February 19. The only Christian among the hostages, she remains in captivity months after all the other girls were released.

In an unverified recording Boko Haram sent to local media late on Monday, Sharibu begged Buhari to work for her freedom. "I plead with... the government and the president to have pity for me and save me from my situation," Sharibu said in Hausa, a language widely spoken in the north.

Sharibu faltered and repeated herself in the recording, suggesting she was reading from a prepared text. If verified, it would be the first evidence that Sharibu was alive since she was kidnapped.

The audio was accompanied by a picture of Sharibu clad in a light brown hijab revealing only her face, sitting on a mat in an undisclosed location. "The secret service is analysing the voice. Our reaction will follow the outcome of the investigation," Buhari’s spokesman Garba Shehu said on Twitter.

"For President Buhari, nothing will be spared in bringing all our girls home. He will not rest until all of them are freed." Nathan Sharibu, Leah’s father told AFP Tuesday, "The voice in the audio is no doubt that of Leah.

"As her father I can’t mistake her voice. I’m delighted to have heard her voice because it proved beyond doubt that my daughter is still alive," he said. "The government has not contacted me to verify if the voice is indeed that of Leah," he said, urging the authorities to secure her release.

Fighters believed to be loyal to an IS-affiliated Boko Haram faction led by Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi abducted the girls after storming the Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi in Yobe state.

The incident evoked memories of the April 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in neighbouring Borno state. Although more than 100 Chibok girls have been freed or rescued, some 112 are still missing.

The Jihadists returned 110 Dapchi girls to the town on March 21, following negotiations with the government. Both the government and the jihadists claimed no ransom was paid, but a UN report this month said Nigeria paid huge sums for the girls’ release.

Some of the released girls said five schoolmates died in captivity. Sharibu’s case has stoked tensions among Christians, who have accused the government of failing to do enough to secure her release.