AFTER 8 YEARS IN CAPTIVITY:GOSPEL ADVOCATE BABAWALE FUNSHO DAVID DECLARES "LEAH SHARIBU WILL BE SET FREE"

AFTER 8 YEARS IN CAPTIVITY:GOSPEL ADVOCATE BABAWALE FUNSHO DAVID DECLARES "LEAH SHARIBU WILL BE SET FREE"

AND APPEALS TO REV.MOTHER ESTHER AJAYI TO SUPPORT THE PROPHETIC MOVEMENT 

Question: Can you please tell us about yourself, why you chose to advocate for Leah Sharibu, and who Leah Sharibu is to you?Answer: My name is Mr. Babawale Funsho David. I am married with four children, a devoted Christian, and a gospel music writer and producer. My journey in music began in the church, where I served as a choir coordinator and administrator, though I was never a prominent singer at the time. However, I became a singer by necessity due to a divine assignment entrusted to me. This happened after church elders denied the youth choir department the permission to produce a gospel album, simply because the adult church had not yet produced theirs.Following this, a divine directive and prophecy came to me through two independent pastors and prophets who had never met each other and knew nothing about the internal issues in my church. They instructed me to move forward alone with the project that thechurch had denied the youth fellowship. Out of respect, I prefer not to mention the full name of the church here. That divine instruction ultimately gave birth to the music album I dedicated to Leah Sharibu. Interestingly, when I began this project journey back in 2008, Leah had not yet been kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorist group. However, as the project progressed and I was composing songs, I became deeply moved by Leah Sharibu’s story following her abduction. This inspired me to create the track titled "The Most High God." (Album Title : The Glorious Crown in 3 Days)Question: It has been over eight years since Leah Sharibu was kidnapped. Is there any contact or news regarding her current state?Answer: Yes, we maintain consistent contact with Leah Sharibu’s family, as well as the Chairman of the LEAH Foundation, who is fully aware of and highly encouraging toward the dedicated album. According to updates from Dr. Gloria Puldu Samdi, the President of theLEAH Foundation, escapees and Security agent brings back news about her current situation to the family. I was told she is now forced into marriage.Question: Has there been any communication from the government or from Boko Haram/ISWAP?Answer: During the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidency repeatedly issued statements insisting that lines of communication remained open with ISWAP to secure her safe return. The government continuously maintained that it refused to pay ransoms, choosing instead to pursue alternative diplomatic options.Under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu, formal public communication regarding specific, ongoing negotiations for Leah has largely ceased. State-level officials, such as the Yobe State Government, have publicly treated the Dapchi school kidnapping as a resolved historical event since the other 104 girls were safely returned. While they acknowledge her continued captivity, they have noted that the ultimate resolution of her case rests strictly with federal security agencies.Question: Tell us about Leah Sharibu’s parents. Have you heard from them recently?Answer: Yes. During my last phone conversation with the family's representative, Dr. Gloria Puldu Samdi, she shared that Leah’s parents continue to endure what I can only describe as an "unimaginable wait." They live with profound grief but remain fiercely resilient which is my interpretation of what she told me on phone, but LEAH FOUNADTION consistently using their platform to keep their daughter’s memory alive. Unfortunately, recent reports from escaped hostages and security intelligence have confirmed to the family that Leah has been forced into marriage with a commander and has given birth to children while in captivity.Question: You are the Convener of the CSMC Prophetic Prayer for Leah Sharibu. How is the group functioning compared to when you started?Answer: We held our very first prayer gathering for Leah Sharibu on October 1, 2021. Since that inaugural edition, our corporate gatherings have been limited, and prayers have mostly shifted to individual intercession due to a lack of financial sponsorship for participant transportation. During our last program, participants selflessly spent their own money to travel from various parts of Lagos all the way to Badagry Beach just to pray for Leah Sharibu.And this is the area I wish our mother Rev. Mother Esther Ajayi to come in to support the movement with her technical resources, I do not need Financial help from her because she has the Technical resources available (Such as the BUS, Media team, and her welfare team)which is enough for me and my team. The funniest thing is that, not that I can’t get some of this minor support else ware, it was because my heart keep searching for her.Question: Are prayers still being conducted for Leah?Answer: Yes, prayers are still being conducted for Leah, though unfortunately not on the scale I envision, and this is ware I need Rev Mother Esther Ajayi most, using her resources to gather fire branded Prophets and Prophetes to meet occasionally to pray for Leah Sharibu, and my mind keeps pointing me to Rev. Mother Esther Ajayi because I see her always in my dreams. I have made several attempts to connect with Rev. Mother Esther Ajayi, but it hasbeen unsuccessful. A well-known prophet in my church suggested someone who can also render support in the same capacity close to Rev. Mother Esther Ajayi, but I told him my spirit is not connected to any other person except Rev. Mother Esther Ajayi. All efforts to meet her again—after my initial opportunity to record her voice for a voiceover prayer for Leah Sharibu on the Persecuted for Christ Project Music Album—have proved abortive.There are several major initiatives regarding the Leah Sharibu prayer movement that I am eager to share with her, including:• Hosting the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) for a unified prayer rally for Leah.• Establishing the corporate structure for the Persecuted for Christ Project (the finer details of which I would prefer to keep confidential for now).• Developing other related projects that could also align with and support her personal agenda for her ministry regarding the unity of White Garment Church and other divine conceptual project only her can execute, because I know the kind of energyand commitment, she vested in such a work for Christ.I truly wish to meet her one-on-one. I frequently see her in my dreams, and I firmly believe this is a spiritual indication that God is pointing me toward something specific I do not understand, that is why I see her often in my dreams, honestly, I need more courage to keep looking for her. Though, I have faced numerous challenges on this project, but nothing can stop me from keeping the project alive for the realise of Leah Sharibu.Question: Leah is reportedly married with children inside the Boko Haram/ISWAP stronghold. Do you think she will still want to come back home, or do you think she has finally given up and accepted her fate?Answer: I do not believe for a second that Leah has given up. Her family explicitly told me that they eagerly look forward to welcoming her back home along with her children once she is released from captivity. Furthermore, information reaching the family throughrecently released victims indicates that Leah actively prays for others in captivity. I was even informed that the Holy Spirit has performed miracles through her right inside the Boko Haram detention camp. You know God can use someone in the most difficult situation you can ever imagine, who know God deliberately pushed her in that direction a reason best known to HIM (GOD) alone.Question: What about Leah's school in Yobe? Is it still in existence, and how are they coping?Answer: The school is still in existence, but I do not have direct insight into how they currently function or cope.Question: The other 110 schoolgirls kidnapped alongside Leah were released. How are they doing now, and where are they?Answer: Only the Nigerian Government can provide an accurate update on their current status. While their release brought me immense joy, leaving Leah behind deeply saddens meand other advocators. When you look at the reason she remains in captivity, it is purely out of her profound love and faith in Jesus Christ, which is the ultimate fulfillment of our purpose on earth.After all, everything on earth will eventually pass away; it is all vanity upon vanity. It is our eternal inheritance in Heaven that matters most, and that is exactly what Leah prioritized. As a young girl, she resolutely refused to renounce Christ when her captors demanded it as a condition for her freedom. Whatever she is enduring right now is temporary, because earthly suffering will one day end. Today, she stands as a hero and a global symbol of courage and faith for millions of Christians. Ironically, many Christians who view themselves as spiritual giants would fail the very test that Leah Sharibu is successfully enduring.Question: Have you received any support from the government or individuals regarding your advocacy for Leah's freedom?Answer: No, the only support I have received has come from the members of the Council of Prophets (Lagos/Ogun Zone) of the Cherubim & Seraphim Movement Church (CSMC), Ayo ni o. With the help of the the General Secretary of CSMC International Council of Prophets, Sp. Apo. Prophet Abiodun Ogunsakin for spearing their time leaving their homes, coming out to pray for Leah Sharibu, and I look for more of such sacrifices for our sis Leah Sharibu.Question: What message do you have for the government or Christian leaders regarding Leah?Answer: My message to the Nigerian Government is simple: as Nigeria celebrates its freedom every year on Independence Day on October 1st, they must remember that Leah Sharibu also deserves her freedom from Boko Haram captivity. The government must keep Leah in mind and actively work toward securing her release.Leah marked her 8th year in captivity on February 19, 2026, and on that day, Dr. Gloria Samdi Puldu issued a renewed distress call on behalf of her parents. Through the LEAH Foundation, the family expressed deep frustration with Nigeria's successive political transitions. They pointed out that Leah has now entered her ninth year of confinement, spanning three different presidential terms from President Buhari to President Tinubu. They explicitly called on President Bola Tinubu to view Leah's case not as a forgotten historical statistic, but as an ongoing national tragedy and a moral imperative.Question: What is CAN saying about her story?Answer: The primary issue within the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is a profound lack of structural unity. I recall trying to engage CAN to host a prayer program for Leah; my meetings with some of the state executives were highly discouraging. The administrative bottlenecks within their network clearly reflect this fragmentation. Christian leaders need to genuinely love one another and harmonize their operations, completely eliminating denominational favoritism.Structurally, CAN is divided into five foundational blocs representing the major Christian denominations in the country: the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship/Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN/PFN), the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), and the TEKAN/ECWA Fellowships. In practice, however, certain state chapters suffer from internal rivalry, where specific denominations view themselves as "more righteous" or more influential than others. This leads to administrative gatekeeping, where a noble program initiated by one group is delayed, sidelined, or frustrated by executives from another bloc, often fueled by the fear of politicizing Leah's case.While there are several online reports indicating that CAN publicly pressures the Federal Government—stating that "no sacrifice is too great to bring our daughter home" while urging the international community to keep her case alive—my question to all churches in Nigeria is this: how many denominations actually remember to pray for Leah Sharibu during their weekly services?My advice to every church in Nigeria is to consistently remember Leah Sharibu in their prayers. This reflects the final message of the song I dedicated to her, titled "Glorious Crown in 3 Days" (Track 6). You can listen to Track 6 and the rest of the album across all major music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Boomplay.Babawale Funsho David

babawalefunshodavid@gmail.com

±2348088858961