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Activist Knocks Buhari Over Leah Shabiru’s Continued Captivity

Published

3 years ago

December 26, 2022

A peace advocate, Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, on Monday berated the Federal Government for its inability to secure the freedom of Leah Sharibu who had celebrated her fifth Christmas in the captivity of Boko Haram insurgents.

The activist called on President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress-led regime to fulfill his promise to release her from Boko Haram den.

He also reminded all men and women of goodwill, common sense and those who celebrate humanity to “remember that Leah Sharibu is an innocent human being, kept against her will in captivity by Boko Haram.”

Para-Mallam, President and CEO of Para-Mallam Peace Foundation, made the lamentation in a statement titled, ‘Leah Sharibu’s 5th Christmas in Captivity: Should we care or remain silent?’, obtained by journalists in Abuja.

Leah Sharibu was a 14 year old Christian girl at the time, when she was kidnapped from school in Dapchi, Yobe State on February 19, 2018.

While others were released, she was held captive because she refused apostasy to be converted to Islamic religion.

The activist said, “On Sunday December 25, 2022, Leah spent her 5th Christmas in captivity. The Nigerian government has not done enough to free Leah and other Christian girls and women who experience sexual abuse and slavery in various Boko Haram camps in Nigeria. Most of these Christian girls and women, including a few Muslim girls are held against their will.

“The international community needs to do more to free these girls and women. The trauma their parents and families go through is harrowing. Our Peace Foundation is in touch with some of these parents. I have remained in touch with Leah’s parents and other families. Many are heartbroken. How can Nigerians be so helpless with a government and military in place? We urge all men and women of goodwill: Christians and Muslims, to rise for the sake of our common humanity and act in a sustainable way to free these innocent women from Boko Haram’s captivity.

“The Buhari presidency and the ruling APC party likes credit to be given to the President in helping to secure the release of some of the kidnapped Chibok school girls back in April 2014. True, they have tried but the truth is this; their effort is frankly too little and very unimpressive. I want to ask, just exactly how many of these Chibok girls were released in the last seven years of this government? Can the numbers be compared with the several hundreds of women and girls who have also been kidnapped by Boko Haram in the last seven years?

“Yes, the Federal Government negotiated and secured the release of the remaining Abuja-Kaduna train victims recently. Yet, nothing conscious and concrete has been done to secure the release of Leah Sharibu and several others. Why? Many of these women and girls are scattered in several Boko Haram camps in the forests and hamlets of Borno State. What will Buhari or the APC party do to bring these girls home to their parents before May 29, 2023, when the tenure of this administration ends?

“We have appealed to the President of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, over and over including a passionate plea by Leah’s mother with President Buhari himself making a promise that he would do everything possible to bring Leah home to her parents.

“This promise was made in October 2018, it’s five years on and Mr. President, you have not delivered on your promise. You will soon be handing over and leaving the scene of the presidency of Nigeria. What a befitting gift you can give to this nation and to Leah’s family and to several other families, if you can rescue Leah and the other women and girls in captivity and deliver them home and hand Leah and others to their parents.

“But indeed it is not just Leah, because there are several others who are still in captivity. We have several others, Alice Ngada, Grace Tuka, Lilian Gyang Daniel, Praise Austin, Rejoice, two other Grace’s, Feyina, Jamaba, Hauwa and many others whose names I may not have time to mention here, one of them was actually a former young youth corp member who was returning home to Maiduguri after her service year.

“We have appealed to the international community, and we would continue to appeal to them but many times one is even confused. Is the international community really interested in seeing these women and girls set free? I am not convinced that the international community can only bark and is unable to do nothing to see Leah and others set free.

“Leah is also a global citizen, let’s all unite our hearts and hands together and work for the freedom of Leah and other women and girls in capacity.

“Once again, this is Leah’s fifth year in captivity. Even Boko Haram, I appeal to you, think about Leah as your own daughter and set Leah free. God created Leah with freedom, please don’t take away her freedom because you are not God. Ultimately, God is the judge of all of our actions. Remember God and act to free that innocent girl and several others that are in captivity. They will be freed by the grace of God.”

Headline

Return Of Chinese Astronauts Delayed After Space Debris Hits Spacecraft

Published

2 hours ago

November 5, 2025

Editor

The return of three Chinese astronauts to Earth has been postponed indefinitely after their spacecraft was reportedly hit by a small piece of debris, according to Chinese state media.

The astronauts, who are part of the Shenzhou-20 mission, travelled to the Tiangong space station in April and were scheduled to return on Wednesday following a six-month stay. Their replacements, the Shenzhou-21 crew, had already arrived over the weekend.

“The Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft is suspected to have been struck by a small piece of orbital debris, and assessment of the impact and associated risks is currently under way,” the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said in a statement.

“To ensure the health and safety of the astronauts and the successful completion of the mission, it has been decided that the originally planned return of Shenzhou-20 on November 5 will be postponed.”

Officials did not specify when the debris incident occurred. Earlier in the week, state media reported that both crews had shared a meal of baked chicken prepared using the station’s first oven, delivered by the Shenzhou-21 team. On Tuesday, videos showed the two teams holding a handover ceremony.

Yu Jun, a science communicator known online as Steed’s Scarf, said that if the spacecraft is deemed unsafe to return, authorities could activate a backup plan.

“Shenzhou-22 and the Long March 2F (launcher) were already on standby. This is our rolling backup mechanism. They are in ‘emergency duty’ mode and ready to bring our astronauts home safely if needed,” Yu told his more than five million followers on Weibo.

China has continued to expand its human spaceflight program, completing 37 flights and six crewed missions so far, with plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030.

The Shenzhou-20 commander, Chen Dong, holds China’s record for the longest cumulative space time more than 380 days and the highest number of spacewalks, with six.

Chinese astronauts have not joined the International Space Station, a partnership between the US, Russia, Europe, Canada, and Japan, due to a US law preventing NASA from cooperating with China’s space program. Instead, China has said it welcomes international cooperation on its Tiangong space station.

(The Guardian Uk)

Headline

Man Grabs Mexico’s President While Meeting Citizens On The Street

Published

3 hours ago

November 5, 2025

Editor

Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, while meeting citizens in Mexico City was grabbed by a man, prompting concern over presidential security and ongoing harassment faced by women in the country.

A video from Tuesday shows a man, appearing intoxicated, attempting to kiss the president on the neck and holding her from behind.

She quickly removed his hands and turned to face him before an official stepped in and blocked the man.

As he was led away, Sheinbaum was seen smiling slightly and saying, “Don’t worry.” State police later confirmed the man’s arrest.

Commentators said the episode shows that no woman, not even Mexico’s President, is immune to harassment.

“Even if you’re the president, any guy believes he has the right to touch you,” said Catalina Ruiz-Navarro, a journalist with feminist outlet Volcánicas. “When they ask what the patriarchy is, this is it.”

The incident also raised questions about Sheinbaum’s security. Her team was not clearly visible in the footage, and it took several seconds for anyone to react.

It comes days after Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, a popular mayor, was killed during Day of the Dead celebrations in Uruapan, Michoacán.

He was shot seven times at close range before the gunman was killed. Before his death, Manzo Rodríguez had publicly appealed to Mexico’s President for help against local criminal groups.

He is the latest in a series of officials killed in Mexico. During the 2024 election campaign, 37 candidates were murdered, and since Sheinbaum’s government began on 1 October, 10 municipal presidents have also been killed.

While local leaders are often targeted, high-level officials have also faced threats.

In 1994, presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta was assassinated at a rally in Tijuana. In 2020, the Jalisco cartel attempted to kill Omar García Harfuch, Sheinbaum’s current security minister, in a daylight attack in Mexico City.

Sheinbaum herself faced a scare last year during her campaign in Chiapas, when masked men stopped her vehicle to demand action against violence before letting her go.

Like her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico’s President has preferred to keep close contact with the public and maintain lighter security. But the latest incident may prompt her to reconsider.

“Hopefully [the presidency will press charges], and the president will send a clear message: no man has the right to kiss or touch a woman without her consent,” wrote Alejandra Escobar, editorial director of Ectétera, on X. “May this also serve as an example for [her assistants]: it is not acceptable for her to be so exposed.”

(The Guardian UK)

Headline

Sweden To Charge 18-year-old Over IS Terror Plot

Published

1 day ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

The Swedish Prosecution Authority said Tuesday it intended to charge an 18-year-old man for planning a terrorist act in Stockholm on behalf of the Islamic State group.

According to prosecutors, the planning took place between August 2024 and February 2025.

“We believe the purpose of the preparations was to induce serious fear in the population, in the name of the Islamic State. The criminal act could have seriously harmed Sweden,” Deputy Chief Prosecutor Henrik Olin said in a statement.

Prosecutors did not provide details of the plan but said the man was also suspected of “preparation for serious crimes under the act on flammable and explosive goods and training for terrorism”.

Prosecutors said they planned to file the charges on Thursday and that a press conference would be held the same day.

The young man will also be charged alongside a 17-year-old boy with attempted murder in Germany in August 2024.

Both of them are also suspected of “participation in a terrorist organisation,” according to the statement.

The man was arrested in Stockholm on February 11 and has been in custody since then.

AFP