A Christian persecution watchdog is urging people to pray for a Nigerian teen who has now been in captivity for four years.

International Christian Concern says that reports indicate Leah Sharibu, who turns 19 on May 14, "seems to have been married off to one of her abductors and is rumoured to have two children." The watchdog says it has been hard to confirm the details because she is not allowed any contact with her family. "The only news comes from survivors of Boko Haram who have either escaped or been released."

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ICC alleges that "the Nigerian government, though outwardly sympathetic to Leah’s situation, has seemed to do little to rescue her.

"The international community must continue to champion Leah’s cause and demand that she be released. It must also pressure the Nigerian government to take a more active role in defending innocent Christians in the Middle Belt and northern parts of Nigeria."

ICC urges Christians to pray for the teen as weel as her two young children.

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"Pray that the Lord will grant wisdom to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian government. Pray that Leah will be released and that the Lord will ease the burdens of the trauma that she and her family have experienced. Pray for the healing of Nigeria, for the end of mass abductions and killings, and for the Lord to transform the hearts of those who persecute the church."

Sharibu and her classmates were kidnapped by members of the terrorist group Boko Haram on February 19, 2018. There were approximately 110 children kidnapped from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College located in northeast Nigeria. All but Sharibu were released after a month of negotiations. Sharibu was the only Christian in the group, and while the others were released, the teenage girl remained in captivity for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.