"Please keep praying": Leah Sharibu's mother speaks on second anniversary of Leah's abduction

Leah Sharibu's mother spoke to Open Doors on the second anniversary of her daughter's abduction, thanking supporters and asking for continued prayer.

The mother of Leah Sharibu, the Nigerian schoolgirl kidnapped by Boko Haram on 19 February 2018, has spoken out on the second anniversary of her abduction.

In this video, Rebecca Sharibu shares her prayer to God - thanking Him for Leah's faith and asking that He would increase that faith and bring her home. Incredibly, she also says that she is praying for Leah's abductors, and would forgive them: "I forgive them, because the Lord has asked me to forgive them and He has told us to forgive." Gloria, who leads the Leah Sharibu Foundation, translated for Rebecca.

When Boko Haram attacked her village, Leah's mother didn't know what was happening. She later heard that Boko Haram had impersonated soldiers, telling the girls that they would protect them. Two years later, more than 100 girls were taken. Leah is the only one still in captivity, because she refused to renounce her faith in Jesus.

• Watch: interview with Nigeria Pastor Gideon, who has stood with Leah's family

Open Doors partners with the local church in Nigeria to strengthen persecuted believers through training, community development projects, emergency relief, trauma care and legal assistance.

Please pray, with Leah's mother, that Leah would be able to return safely to her family. Pray also for all those who have been abducted or harmed by Islamic extremists in northern Nigeria - that they would be freed and healed from their trauma.