Headline

Boko Haram: Parents Beg Buhari For Leah Sharibu’s Release After 1377 Days

Published

4 years ago

February 19, 2022

Exactly four years (1377 days) after being held captive in Boko Haram captivity, parents of Leah Sharibu on Saturday continued their demand on the Federal Government to fulfill its promise and secure her freedom from the insurgents.

While demanding the safe release of their daughter, Nathan and Rebecca Sharibu said they do not want to believe that the recent promises by the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), “are as empty as those that have been made before.”

Leah Sharibu was one of the 110 female students of the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, who were abducted on February 19, 2018, by Boko Haram terrorists.

While others were released by the terrorists following negotiations, Leah, then 14 years, is still being held captive because she refused to renounce her Christian faith.

The traumatised parents made their submissions in a statement titled: “An Appeal”, signed by their Spokesperson and President of Leah Foundation, Dr. Gloria Puldu.

She said, “Nathan and Rebecca Sharibu hereby call upon the leaders of Nigeria to expedite the safe release of our daughter, Leah Sharibu, who has been held hostage against her will in the past four years.

“Specifically, we address our most urgent appeals to General Farouk Yahaya, Chief of Army Staff, who only recently went on public record assuring the nation that Leah would soon be rescued. Nearly one month has now passed since General Yahaya’s statement, and nothing has changed.

“As a family, we do not want to be quick to make public statements or accusations, especially when such prominent military leaders have so assuredly promised us that Leah would be returned to us, and that they truly were concerned for her welfare.

“When we hear such promises, hopes are raised beyond any ability to describe or put into words, and we can only imagine that our long nightmare is coming to an end and that soon we will be rejoicing as we embrace our beloved daughter and weep tears of joy.

“We also imagine how grateful we will be to the Buhari administration on that day, and to the tens and hundreds of thousands of Nigerians and people from around the world who have upheld us, advocated for Leah, and spent many hours in prayer, writing letters, or speaking out on her behalf.

“We do not want to believe that the recent promises are as empty as those that have been made before. When we see or hear reports of other hostages being released or rescued, we do feel joy for them and their families. But it is also hard for us to be selfless, and not ask ‘Why not Leah?’

“1377 days have passed since that terrible afternoon of February 19, 2018 when Leah was taken hostage from the Government Girl’s Science and Technical College located in Dapchi; days of holding our breath, clinging to hope, and sleepless dreams.

“How can our leaders go about their days or sleep easily at night, knowing that the safety and security of our people is lessening every day, not just in Northern Nigeria but even in the most Southern parts of our country? What is the legacy that General Buhari and his cabinet and ministers are writing for future generations to study and read? Will our leaders be remembered, not for what they have done, but what they have failed to do?”

PUNCH.

Headline

TikTok Bans 49,512 Live Sessions In Nigeria As Creators Stream Sex Romps

Published

2 hours ago

November 22, 2025

Editor

For the first time, TikTok has shared data on its enforcement of Live Monetization guidelines, following a surge in users going live during sexual activity. The platform released the figures during its West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal, held in partnership with AfricTivistes.

In the second quarter of 2025, TikTok took action, including warnings and demonetization, against 2,321,813 Live sessions and 1,040,356 Live creators for violating its Live Monetization guidelines.

In Nigeria alone, 49,512 Live sessions were banned during the same period.

The Summit brought together senior government officials, policy experts, NGOs, regulators, media representatives, and industry leaders from West African nations, including Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Ethiopia.

Delegates discussed strategies to strengthen user protection and content moderation frameworks tailored to regional challenges.

The event marked a pivotal moment for TikTok’s regional safety efforts and its commitment to upholding global safety standards across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Experts shared insights, examined online safety challenges, and explored collaborative measures under TikTok’s #SaferTogether initiative.

TikTok’s Outreach and Partnerships Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, Duduzile Mkhize, emphasized the platform’s commitment to enhancing user security through stakeholder collaboration.

She stated: “While global, we remain hyper-local in our day-to-day efforts. The dialogue at this Summit is invaluable because only through insights sharing and collaboration with policymakers and local partners across West Africa can we prevent a fragmented and insecure digital environment.

“United action can help us guarantee a safe space for our community to discover, create, and connect responsibly.”

A key partner in this effort is Nigeria’s Dr. Akinola Olojo, expert on preventing and countering violent extremism, and member of TikTok’s Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council.

He said: “The convening of various stakeholders in Dakar, sharing insights for collaborative action, proves that the work we do alongside TikTok is not in vain.

“We must move beyond reactive measures and continue to build proactive systems that empower communities to resist radicalization and leverage online spaces for positive social impact.”

Globally, TikTok removed over 189 million videos in the same quarter, representing just 0.7% of all content uploaded. Of these, 163.9 million were flagged by AI-driven moderation systems.

Notably, 99.1% of removals were detected proactively, and 94.4% were taken down within 24 hours. The platform also removed 76,991,660 fake accounts, alongside 25,904,708 accounts suspected to belong to users under the age of 13.

In Nigeria, TikTok removed 3,780,426 videos between April and June 2025 for violating Community Guidelines. Impressively, 98.7% were removed before being viewed, and 91.9% were taken down within 24 hours.

The data, released in TikTok’s Quarter 2 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, underscores the platform’s ongoing commitment to creating a safe digital space for its users.

Headline

Nnamdi Kanu’s Case Proof Of Religious Persecution In Nigeria – US lawmaker, John James

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

Former chairman of the Africa Subcommittee and now a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Representative, John James, has claimed that the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is proof of religious persecution in Nigeria.

James stated this when the United States House Subcommittee on Africa on Thursday, held a public hearing to review President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

The hearing in Washington, DC included senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.

James claimed that in the case of Nnamdi Kanu, Nigeria’s Court of Appeal had struck down the charges against him and ordered his release in 2022.

He said: “Religious persecution is tied to political repression and weakening institutions in Nigeria. The detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a clear example.

“In 2022, Nigeria’s Court of Appeals struck down the charges against him and ordered his release.

“The UN Working Group for Arbitrary Detention has also called for his unconditional release, yet he remains in solitary confinement in deteriorating health and recently had to represent himself in court.

“Nigeria has signaled that the law is optional and targeting Christians is fair game. Just hours ago this morning, despite the pleas and cries of Nigerian people and many Nigerian lawmakers, Kanu was convicted on all charges.”

Nnamdi Kanu was on Thursday, sentenced to life imprisonment over terrorism charges.

Headline

Nigerians Don’t Trust Their Govt – US Congressman Riley Moore

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

US Congressman Riley Moore has said that Nigerian people do not trust their government.

Moore stated this on Thursday at US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, which is investigating Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’, CPC.

“The Nigerian people don’t trust their government. ‘How can you trust a government that doesn’t show up when you ask them to?

“The Nigerian government must work with the US in cooperation to address these insecurity issues.

“A case that just happened recently in Plateau state. We had a pastor there who warned the Nigerian government that they were under attack. There’s imminent attack forces here in the next 24 hours. Please come and help us.

“The Nigerian government did not only ignore it but put up a press release that it is fake news,” he said.

Moore would be meeting with a delegation of senior members of the Nigerian government, over the devastating insecurity in Nigeria and the US designation of the country as CPC, DAILY POST reports.