PRESS RELEASE

ChristianNewsWire | Dec. 17, 2025

Save the Persecuted Christians Releases Original Song Dedicated to Leah Sharibu, a Christian Nigerian School Girl Held Captive by Terrorists since 2018

Washington, DC – December 17, 2025 /Christian Newswire/ — Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC) today released an original music video and song titled “Leah, Did You Know?” dedicated to Leah Sharibu, the Nigerian Christian girl who has been held captive by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists for nearly eight years solely because she refused to renounce her faith.

On February 19, 2018, 14-year-old Leah was abducted along with 109 other schoolgirls from their school in Dapchi, Yobe State, Nigeria. Five girls died during the ordeal, and the rest were released a month later following negotiations—but Leah was retained as a “slave for life” after courageously refusing to convert to Islam. Classmates reported that whenever terrorists demanded to know who was Christian, Leah boldly raised her hand despite attempts to stop her.

Reports indicate Leah, now 22, has been forcibly married to an ISWAP commander and compelled to bear children. Her unwavering faith has inspired millions facing persecution worldwide.

“Leah’s story is a powerful testament to courage in the face of evil,” said Dede Laugesen, President of Save the Persecuted Christians. “The genocide of Christians in Nigeria has been a terrible cross to bear for the women and children. We must do all we can to bring them home.”

STPC, in partnership with former Congressman Frank R. Wolf and ICON Lectures, previously brought Leah’s mother, Rebecca Sharibu, to Washington, DC, to advocate for her daughter’s rescue. The organization has also collaborated with Dr. Gloria Puldu, President of The Leah Foundation, to amplify the voices of persecuted Nigerian Christians, including a recent appearance on “The Faulkner Focus.”

Leah remains one of thousands of Christian women and girls held in terrorist camps, sold into slavery, or forcibly married to jihadists. Since the 2014 Chibok abductions, over 2,000 Nigerian students have been kidnapped in mass school attacks, with hundreds still missing amid surging violence.

Save the Persecuted Christians urges the public to pray for Leah’s safe return, share the song to raise awareness, and support efforts to end Christian persecution in Nigeria. More information is available on the organization’s Substack.

The music video, with lyrics and chords, is available at savethepersecutedchristians.org. Credits: Dede Laugesen and Oleg Atbashian.

About Save the Persecuted Christians
Save the Persecuted Christians is a bipartisan, interdenominational movement advocating for the hundreds of millions of Christians facing religious persecution worldwide.

SOURCE Save the Persecuted Christians

CONTACT: Dede Laugesen, [email protected]