The Nigerian Defence Headquarter’ Director of Information, Maj. Gen. John Enenche has said he is not aware of any negotiation for the release of Leah Sharibu who has been in the custody of Boko Haram insurgents for over two years now.
Leah Sharibu was one of 110 girls kidnapped on February 19, 2018, from Government Girls Science and Technical College Yobe State. Five of the schoolgirls reportedly died while they were being kidnapped. Days later in March of the same year, many of them were released except the lone Christian girl Leah Sharibu (now 17 years) as she refused to abandon her faith and convert to Islam.
Though there were reports that negotiations were ongoing for her release, Enenche said he was unaware of any negotiation.
He made the disclosure on Channels News on Monday while answering questions on the recent abduction of 333 students at the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina, last Friday.
He said he was not aware of any recent negotiation on the release of Sharibu noting however that negotiation could be going on at a higher level.
Enenche who is said to be the elder brother of Paul Enenche, founder of Dunamis International Gospel Centre informed that he was asked that question some months or years ago and he told “the general public that no negotiation is to my knowledge”
He however confirmed that 333 students were abducted in the recent raid on the Katsina school.
Enenche said, “The principal reported that he had 839 in the boarding house; and as at the time they were abducted, shortly after that, some came back and it was about five hundred plus that did not return,” he explained.
According to him, “As of 2 pm yesterday (Sunday), the students that could not be accounted for reduced to 333. Out of that 333, before I came into the studio, one escaped out of wherever they kept them.”
He said one of the police officers guarding the school was shot dead while another is being hospitalised.
He said the abductors used motorbikes to transport the students out of the school premises noting that the rescue operations could not be carried out because the security operatives were trying to avoid human casualty that may involve the children.
In a related development, about 19 people were reported to have been kidnapped in Niger State. A clergyman with the Evangelical Church Winning All was said to have been killed in the process.
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[…] Maj. Gen. John Enenche, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters’ Director of Information, said he was unaware of any negotiation for the release of Leah, but said discussions could be being held at a higher […]