Dapchi girl's mother sues IGP Idris, AGF Malami for N500m compensation

Rebecca Sharibu, the mother of Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi schoolgirl being held by terrorist group, Boko Haram, has sued the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, demanding N500 million compensation for failing to ensure her daughters safety.

In the suit filed on September 19, 2018 at a Lagos division of the Federal High Court, she accused Idris and Malami of dereliction of their statutory duties in securing her daughter's release.

The N500 million is determined in the suit to be compensation for the indignities and human deprivations suffered by the plaintiff as a result of this dereliction.

The suit also prayed to the court to direct the defendants to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Leah from the custody of her captors.

The suit, with reference no FCH/L/cs/1528/18, read, "An order of the Honourable court directing and mandating the defendants to secure the immediate and unconditional release of the plaintiff from the custody of her captors forthwith.

"An order compelling the defendants to employ every means in securing the plaintiff from the custody of her captors; an order compelling the defendants to pay the plaintiff the sum of N500 million being compensation for the indignities and human deprivations suffered by the plaintiff as a result of the defendants' dereliction of statutory duties in securing her release from her captors since the month of February, 2018 till date of this action."

The suit required the defendants to appear personally or by a legal representative by filing the appropriate response in the court, with failure to do so within a stipulated time recommended to be dealt with at the discretion of the presiding judge.

The other plaintiffs in the suit are Daniel Kadzai and Lift-Up-Now Incorporation, a non-governmental organization in the United States of America.

How Leah Sharibu was abducted

When terrorists raided Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe, on February 19, 2018, Leah was abducted alongside 112 other hostages. After weeks of negotiations with the government, the terrorists released 107 of the 113 originally abducted on March 21.

While it was reported by some of the released hostages that five of them that were taken had died of heart attack and stress and buried in the bush, Leah Sharibu was kept in captivity by the terrorists because she refused to renounce her Christian faith.

In an audio message published on August 27, 2018, Leah appealed to President Buhari to secure her freedom.

"I am Leah Sharibu, the girl that was abducted in GGSS Dapchi. I am calling on the government and people of goodwill to intervene to get me out of my current situation.

"I am begging you to treat me with compassion, I am calling on the government, particularly, the president to pity me and get me out of this serious situation," she pleaded.

After killing another captive, a nurse, recently, the Boko Haram faction holding Leah Sharibu have threatened to kill her in a month if the government does not respond to it.

"The other nurse and midwife will be executed in similar manner in one month, including Leah Sharibu," a terrorist spokesman had said.