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Kidnap

• Leah Sharibu's Parents Respond to Rumours

  

  As new rumours circulate about the fate of Leah Sharibu, the parents of this young Christian woman are calling for her release from captivity. While awaiting this hopeful outcome, they ask for continued prayers on behalf of their abducted daughter. Over five years ago, Leah was kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists, along with fellow students from a school in Dapchi, Nigeria. While many of the students were eventually released, Leah was retained in captivity for refusing to renounce her faith in Christ. Click here for more details. (Additional reports on her situation are available at our country report.)

• Dozens of Christians Kidnapped, Others Killed

  

  Violence against Christians continues unabated in many areas of Nigeria, as recently published reports indicate that militants are increasingly invading villages to kill, injure and kidnap dozens of believers – destroying their homes and church buildings in the process. While the kidnappings are frequently financially motivated, Christians are often the primary targets of radical Islamists' attacks. For further details on how Christians are being affected by the ongoing violence in Nigeria, go to our country report.

• More Chibok Girls Rescued

  

  In 2014, a secondary school in the predominantly Christian town of Chibok, Borno State, was attacked by members of the militant Islamic group, Boko Haram. During the raid, 276 girls were kidnapped. (For details on the initial attack, go to this report.)In the nine years since that time, some of the girls have been released, while others either managed to escape or were rescued by governmental forces. Although the exact number of students who remain missing is unknown, it is estimated that approximately 100 of them are still in captivity.

• Teen Girl Kidnapped at Gunpoint

  

  A Christian teenager named Sehar was kidnapped from her home in Okaro, Punjab, on April 23rd. At last report, police were continuing to search for her, along with the three Muslim men responsible for the abduction.
  
  The 13-year-old girl worked at a local brick kiln, along with 11 of her siblings, to help support the family, since their elderly father is ill and unable to work. According to her brother Irfan, the three men on motorcycles kidnapped Sehar from her home at gunpoint and fled. One of the captors was recognized as Allah Rakha, who also worked at the kiln.

• Father of Kidnapped Child Murdered

  

  On March 30th, the Persecution & Prayer Alert reported on a 12-year-old girl who had been kidnapped and, after being recovered, was placed in a women's shelter rather than being returned to her father. Young Hoorab Masih had been abducted by two local shopkeepers in December and then forced to convert to Islam and marry one of her kidnappers. For more details on the incident, see this page.

• Court Sends Child Bride to Shelter

  

  Hoorab Masih went missing on December 28th after she failed to return from grocery shopping. It was soon discovered that the 12-year-old had been kidnapped by a local shopkeeper, Muhammad Mustafa, and his co-worker, Muhammad Usman, who then forcibly converted the Christian girl to Islam. A few days later, Hoorab was found in a women's shelter after the arrests of Mustafa and Usman. However, when the two men were released on bail, they disappeared, along with Hoorab.

• Five Years of Captivity for Leah Sharibu

  

  In February 2018, Boko Haram militants raided a girls' school in Dapchi, Yobe State, kidnapping 110 students. A month later, it was reported that five of the schoolgirls had died in captivity and all but one of the surviving students were released. The remaining victim, Leah Sharibu, continued to be held captive because she refused to renounce her Christian faith and convert to Islam (see this report). Since that time, various reports have surfaced indicating that Leah is still alive. A report in May 2021 stated that she was forced into marriage and had just given birth to a second child (read more).

• Teenager Forcibly Married to 60-Year-Old Man

  

  Sitara Arif, a 15-year-old Christian girl, was kidnapped on December 15th in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Abducted by the husband of her employer, she was forcibly converted to Islam and then married to her captor. It took almost two months for police to finally register a case against Rana Tayyab, despite repeated pleas from the girl's family.

• Parents' Appeal for Custody Denied

  

  A Christian family in Rawalpindi, a city located in the Pakistani state of Punjab, are anxiously waiting for the safe return of their 13-year-old daughter, nearly four months after her abduction. Zarvia Pervaiz was kidnapped, forcibly converted and married in April to a man the family had formerly trusted.

• More Chibok School Hostages Freed!

  

  Eight years ago, over 200 girls were abducted from a secondary school in Chibok, Nigeria, and held hostage by Boko Haram, a militant Islamic group that is fiercely opposed to what they define as "Western education." Over the years, a number of the former schoolgirls managed to escape, and more than 100 others have been freed through negotiations. Unfortunately, approximately 100 of the seized students were still missing.