Boko Haram captives.
A video was recently released by the Islamic State West Africa Province, commonly known as Boko Haram. In the video, eleven abducted Christian men are shown. The spokesperson of their group is a local college lecturer, Bitrus Bwala, who was kidnapped on November 27th.
In the video, the spokesperson calls for the government, as well as Christian organizations, to do more in their attempts to rescue those being held hostage. In what appears to be a scripted speech given to him, Bitrus specifically cites that Leah Sharibu is with them and remains in custody because of inaction by the Nigerian government. This contradicts an earlier report of questionable origin that Leah had been killed.
To view a portion of the video, click here. For additional information on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, check our country report.
Praise God for this recently received report indicating that teenaged Leah is still alive. Continue to prayerfully uphold the young student and all other innocent captives, asking Him to give them enduring strength -- mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically -- as they eagerly await deliverance during this horrific time. Also pray that Nigeria's governing officials will be granted wisdom from on high, an increase in motivation to take appropriate steps of action, as well as the necessary strategies, so they can safely rescue these innocent hostages and stop the ongoing terror of militants in the country.
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