By Paul Ukpabio
An American Pastor Abu Zacharia is in Nigeria to rescue and replace Leah.
Zacharia, an American missionary who came in company of an American based human rights advocate, Barrister Emmanuel Ogebe, said this is his third trip to Nigeria in the last few weeks and he is making efforts to meet with Book Haram leaders so that they can take him to replace Leah.
Supporting Pastor Zacharias intention, Barrister Emmanuel said that this week is significant because there are two memorable anniversaries one being the third year of the abduction of Christian heroine, Leah Sharibu, who was taken from her school in Dapchi on February 19, 2018 and the second being the anniversary of the Agatu Massacre in Benue State which occurred in 2016 where over 300 lives were lost.
Meanwhile the American Pastor Abu Zacharia claims that this is not the first time that he has offered to replace a prisoner.
Zacharia said am here in Nigeria, my third trip in four months to negotiate the release of Leah Shuaribu with Boko Haram. What am offering to them is to exchange Leah for myself and I will go into their captivity.
So that is what am planning to do, once they find out that am here, I have already had one meeting with the government official, asking his assistance to have a meeting with Boko Haram. Wherever she is, am willing to go there and exchange myself.
He continued the basic of this is John 15:13 in the gospel Greater love has no man than a man lays down his life for his brother and his sister. So I am here to, with the permission of my wife of 41 years and five children and nine grand-children, see if I can negotiate her release. And they will release her and take me instead. And that is my goal.
I have been doing full-time religious freedom work and international Christian humanitarian work in the war-zones. I have been to places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan, Gaza, Sudan and Cuba, among others.
Clad in a grey suit with a pastoral collar, Zacharia looked determined and resigned to fate and he walked away briskly by the side of Barrister Emmanuel into the airport lobby where he met with the press.