LEAH SHARIBU: PERSON OF THE YEAR 2018: Gripping heroism

Gripping heroism

LEAH Sharibu is still in captivity. But she is a symbol of freedom, particularly religious freedom. Why she remains caged by Islamic fundamentalists is the reason she is in the spotlight. Leah, 15, was among 110 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists from the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State. The jolting mass kidnapping happened on February 19.

Sadly, five of the kidnapped girls reportedly died in captivity. Others abducted with Leah were set free on March 21. Those released were Muslims.   The only Christian among them, Leah, was not released because she refused to renounce her faith and convert to Islam.

Leah’s mother, Mrs. Rebecca Sharibu, said: “The released girls told us that the insurgents insisted that my daughter must renounce her religion… They told her that any day she accepts Islam, she will be released. Leah, we were told, was left behind with three Boko Haram women but she sent the message through her mates that we should pray for the will of God to be done in her life.”

Leah’s defiance makes her a heroine of faith. Her stand against religious extremism and the irrationality of faith-based prejudice is a positive example in a country faced with the challenge of diversity. Not only people of faith, but also those who operate outside the realm of faith, ought to learn from Leah’s heroism.  She demonstrated spiritual and moral conviction well beyond her young age.

But Leah’s fate should not be left to her fatalism. Her time in captivity must not be allowed to stretch just because she stuck to her faith. For demonstrating the ultimate moral of resistance against religion as weapon of evil, this shero is our person of the year.

Interestingly, the 83-year-old Imam of Nghar village, Gashish District in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Plateau State, Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar, is also a hero of faith. The Muslim cleric risked his life to save about 300 men, women and children from a mainly Christian community as they fled from a band of Muslim attackers.

Suspected herdsmen had invaded about 15 communities, killing over 200 people in a wave of violence that further highlighted the herdsmen/farmers crisis that remains a cause for concern.

Imam Abubakar said: “I hid the women in my personal house and after that, I took the men into the mosque and hid them there.” He stood in the way of the marauders. It was a miracle he was not killed.  Abubakar explained that more than 40 years ago, the Christians in the area had given the Muslims the land on which the mosque was built, and had allowed them to build the mosque.  His action reflected a sense of gratitude, and more. He demonstrated a sense of humanity and prevented a greater number of deaths.  Those Abubakar protected stayed with him for five days before they moved to a camp for displaced people.

Like Leah, Abubakar, took a heroic stand against religious prejudice, even though he was a Muslim cleric. Like Leah, Abubakar put his life on the line.  He also resisted evil and the agents of evil. Abubakar’s example emphasised the value of our common humanity. He is our second choice as person of the year.

This newspaper’s third choice shows that the power of a social response must not be underestimated, particularly when it is informed by individual social responsibility. In the age of social media, the possibilities of the development resulted in an official review of the activities of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and a reorganisation of the unit.

An intense social media campaign, #ScrapFSARS,   called for the scrapping of the unit. There was a mountain of public complaints against the unit’s operatives, especially their alleged abuse of power and misdirected brutality.

In the end, the campaigners achieved a commendable result.  Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris ordered immediate re-organisation of FSARS. The police boss also ordered the investigation of all infractions, allegations and complaints against the operatives of the squad by the IGP X-Squad.

Beyond this, the police announced that a reorientation programme focused on police duties and human rights would be held for all FSARS personnel nationwide.

The #ScrapFSARS campaigners demonstrated the power of the people’s voice. They showed the importance of individual social responsibility in the pursuit of social progress.

These stories of gripping heroism stand out among the happenings that grabbed the headlines this year. The central characters illustrate the freedom to do the right thing and how the country can benefit from right actions.