Where Is Leah Sharibu?
Leah Sharibu has spent over 2,300 days in captivity. As she turns 22, a global wave of birthday cards and a Day of Prayer call the world to remember her. Where is Leah?
Children across continents have created birthday cards for Leah Sharibu. Join the Global Day of Prayer for her release—because someone, somewhere, knows where she is.
As she turns 22 in captivity, the world must break its silence.
Birthdays cards have been coming in from around the world.
On May 14th, Leah Sharibu will mark her 22nd birthday.
There will be no cake.
No candles.
No singing voices rising around her.
Only silence.
The same silence that has surrounded her for six long years.
A silence that has become more than absence—it has become complicity.
Leah was just 14 when she was taken.
On a quiet February day in 2018, militants from Boko Haram raided the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, in northeast Nigeria. Over 100 girls were taken including Leah.
Many were released within days.
But Leah was not.
Her captors gave her one condition: deny her Christian faith and she could go home.
She refused.
“I will not deny Jesus,”- she is believed to have said.
And with that, Leah vanished.
Out of the headlines.
Out of the world’s conversation.
But not out of our memory.
The Sound of Silence
Since Leah’s abduction, we have heard very little.
A voice recording. A rumour. A name in a passing news article.
There are whispers of forced marriage, of children born in captivity, of being transferred between groups.
But no confirmation. No accountability. No rescue.
There has been no urgent international outcry.
No UN commission.
No statement from Downing Street or the White House.
No serious diplomatic effort to demand her release.
It is not that the world cannot speak.
It is that the world has chosen not to.
That is why, at Kerygmos, we are refusing to be silent.
This May, we launched the “Where Is Leah Sharibu?” campaign—not just to remember Leah’s birthday, but to confront the global indifference surrounding it.
We began with children.
Through our Leah Birthday Card Campaign, young people from around the world have begun to write.
They are creating cards for Leah—cards full of colour, prayer, sorrow, and defiant hope.
“You are not forgotten.”
“We are praying for you.”
“We love you.”
Some children draw her smiling. Others simply ask:
“Where is Leah?”
We have been speaking about Leah to anyone who will listen.
From Parliament to the People
This campaign is not just symbolic—it is strategic.
We have written to over 600 Members of Parliament, urging them to speak Leah’s name in Parliament on May 14th, the day of her birthday at Prime Minister’s Questions.
We are asking them to raise a simple but urgent question:
What is the UK Government doing to ensure that Leah—and girls like her—are not forgotten?
Because while Leah is a Christian girl who refused to convert,
we recognise that many Muslim girls too have been abducted, violated, and abandoned.
This is not just a Christian issue.
It is a human one.
What You Can Do
We believe somebody, somewhere knows where Leah is.
Pray for her release, pray someone somewhere will come forward.
Write to your elected local politician - ask them for government to intervene.
We now have a dedicated WhatsApp line for this purpose if you would rather contact us.
📱 WhatsApp +1 646 787 8334
📧 leah@kerygmos.com
You can use these channels to:
Write a message of hope or a prayer to her and her family.
Share birthday wishes, however simple they may be.
Join a global day of prayer for Leah on her birthday organised by the Gideon and Funmi Para Mallam Foundation - contact us for details.
Let This Be the Day the Silence Breaks
The world may have forgotten Leah.
But we haven’t.
And we won’t.
Not when she had the courage to say "no" when the price of truth was captivity.
Not when her story still echoes in churches, mosques, schools, and refugee camps.
Not when children are still drawing her face—six years after the world stopped looking.
Join us. Speak her name. Ask your MP to act. Pray. Write. Share.
Because this May 14th, Leah Sharibu turns 22.
And with your help, it could be the day the silence ends.
Beyond Tribute: Why Leah’s Birthday Must Break the Silence
Pope Francis smiling warmly during a public appearance at the Vatican”
Earlier this week, The International Catholic Tablet published my reflection on Pope Francis and his legacy as a shepherd to the suffering. You can read that piece here:
In it, I wrote: “Unity is not sentiment. It is sacrifice. For Pope Francis, Christian unity was not a polite handshake between traditions — it was a call to bleed together for the Gospel.”
It’s with that same spirit — that same call — that I want to talk about Leah Sharibu.
On May 14th, Leah Sharibu will mark yet another birthday in captivity. Abducted at just 14 years old by Boko Haram from her school in Nigeria, Leah was the only girl not released because she refused to renounce her Christian faith. Her story has become a powerful symbol of courage and conviction, but symbols are easily forgotten—especially when the person behind them is young, far from the headlines, and far from home. Leah’s ongoing captivity is not just a personal tragedy, but a profound indictment of global indifference toward persecuted Christians.
Why Doesn’t She Matter? Leah Sharibu’s story forces us to ask hard questions. Not about what happened — but about what hasn't. Why has her name faded from our headlines? Why do her birthdays pass in silence? Why is the world so quick to forget a girl who showed more courage than most of us will ever be asked to? We amplify stories that feel close to us — familiar, safe, headline-ready. But Leah’s story sits at the margins: a girl of faith, from a part of the world we rarely see unless it bleeds. And when it does, it often goes unnamed. This is not just about media bias — it’s about narrative fatigue. The world has grown used to the suffering of others, especially when it’s quiet, complex, and far from view. But the Kingdom of God doesn’t work like that. It remembers the “least.” It prioritises the unheard. And it refuses to accept the logic of the world that says 'some stories matter more.'
We must confront our collective apathy, the numbness that creeps into our hearts when confronted by suffering that does not directly affect us. We must challenge the quiet resignation to injustice that pervades even our churches and communities. Leah Sharibu’s continuing captivity is not just her burden to bear; it is ours as well, a reflection of our values, our compassion, and our commitment to justice.
At Kerygmos, we don’t exist to follow the media cycle. We exist to proclaim what must not be forgotten. We will say Leah’s name. We will mark her birthday. We will raise our voices — not because it’s trending, but because it’s true. Her courage deserves witness. Her captivity deserves interruption.
That’s why we’re launching 'A Card for Leah' — a campaign inviting children across churches, Sunday schools, and classrooms to create birthday cards for Leah. A drawing, a prayer, a message of hope. We’re opening a WhatsApp line where people can send Leah birthday messages and prayers. We’re emailing MPs and church leaders to speak out on her behalf. And on May 14, we’ll release a visual wall of messages and cards that declare, together: You are not forgotten.
How to Take Part If you’re a teacher, pastor, parent or youth leader:
Invite your group to create birthday cards for Leah
Send photos or scans to hello@kerygmos.com
Share the campaign across your networks
Post, pray, speak Leah’s birthday is May 14. Let’s make the silence loud.
From Ashes to Code: The Evolution of Kerygmos.
A Week of Horror.
This past week, once again, the soil of Plateau State in Nigeria was soaked with blood. Entire families were wiped out, homes burned to the ground, and futures shattered in a matter of hours. The world barely blinked. The headlines, if they existed at all, passed in silence.
But silence is not an option anymore. That is why Kerygmos was born.
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” — Proverbs 31:8.
Why We Had to Evolve
Kerygmos isn’t just a new name. It’s a necessary evolution. Kingstead International began with heart — we launched with a desire to speak for the persecuted, to advocate for the forgotten. But the world changed. Terror became smarter. More coordinated. And heartbreakingly more ignored.
Kingstead, in its original form, was not enough. After internal struggles, disillusionment, there came a point when I considered walking away entirely. But then came the still voice — a reminder of the ‘why.’
Kerygmos is that reminder.
It’s leaner. Sharper. Strategic. It is unapologetically faith-rooted, but forward-facing — a response designed not to appease institutions, but to disrupt the machinery of violence and the apathy that enables it.
Our Four Pillars: Advocacy, Aid, Education, Rebuilding Communities
Kerygmos is built on four essential pillars that shape our response to violence and terror:
1. Advocacy — Telling the truth when the world won’t.
At Kerygmos, we speak up where others stay silent. We challenge the global indifference that allows terror to thrive. Through survivor testimonies, frontline stories, and hard data, we confront distortion and amplify the voices the world is too comfortable ignoring. Advocacy isn’t optional — it’s foundational.
2. Intelligence — Making the invisible visible.
We believe that technology can change the outcome. We’re developing AI-informed tools, data models, and mapping systems to anticipate threats and protect the vulnerable. Intelligence for us isn’t about surveillance — it’s about survival. It’s about giving communities the foresight others take for granted.
3. Education — Restoring life chances.
Terror doesn’t just destroy buildings — it erases futures. Schools are burned, classrooms are emptied, and hope is often the first casualty. We believe education brings it back. Whether it’s young people shut out of school or adults who’ve lost livelihoods and limbs, we work to restore access to learning and skills. A man with no hands can still code. A woman driven from her home can still lead. We exist to see that happen.
4. Rebuilding — Responding with compassion and commitment.
After the gunfire fades, the real work begins. We support communities as they recover — emotionally, economically, spiritually. That includes our commitment to trauma care and what we call the Golden Hour Response: equipping churches and community hubs with trauma kits to respond when violence strikes. Rebuilding means more than physical restoration — it means helping people believe that life is still worth living.
Tech + Truth = Disruption
The old models of aid can no longer meet the scale or sophistication of the crisis we face. We don’t need just another charity handing out blankets after the next massacre. We need tools that can anticipate and prevent.
In many Middle Belt states — Plateau, Benue, and Nasarawa — and across the wider Sahel region, communities face coordinated violence with little to no access to digital infrastructure, data analysis, or predictive models. That’s the technology gap.
We believe AI and machine learning can help bridge that gap. Our long-term goal is to support communities with:
• AI-powered early warning systems
• Data modelling to detect attack patterns
• Digital mapping of at-risk areas for better resource deployment
This is about moving from reaction to foresight. From being victims to being equipped.
Plateau Is the ‘Why’
For many, the Middle Belt of Nigeria is just a place on the map. For us, it’s the front line of a spiritual and humanitarian crisis. Islamist militias continue their quiet genocide, and the world looks away — or worse, rationalises it as a climate issue.
Kerygmos exists to tell the truth, back it with data, and build systems that protect the most vulnerable.
We’re not here to maintain a system. We’re here to shake one.
The Cost of Entry
Let’s be honest — breaking into this space has not been easy. It’s come with suspicion, resistance, and at times a sense of isolation. But Kerygmos is not about me. It’s about serving. It’s about showing up where too few are willing to go. My heart is to listen, to build trust, and to serve alongside those already standing in the fire.
Moving Forward
This section will serve as a living journal of our work, our ideas, and our battles — internally and externally. It will cover everything from emerging tech and geopolitical blind spots, to personal reflections and field updates.
And soon, we’ll be sitting down with friends of Kerygmos — like Canon Andrew White, the Vicar of Baghdad — to talk about faith, conflict, and what peace really costs.
If you’re reading this, you’re part of the story now.
This is only the beginning.
Kerygmos. Speak Truth. Disrupt Violence. Rebuild Hope.