Human angle
HILDE BACK AND CHRIS MBURU A STORY OF KINDNESS THAT CHANGED THOUSANDS
A remarkable story of human kindness spanning continents and decades has emerged, revealing how a small act of generosity from a Holocaust survivor in Sweden transformed the life of a poor Kenyan boy who grew up to fight the very hatred that destroyed her family.
In the 1970s, a boy named Chris Mburu was about to lose everything. He was the top student in his school district in rural Kenya, growing up in a small village called Mitahato, in an earthen house without electricity or running water. But his family was so poor they could not afford even the modest fees to keep him in primary school. Without help, Chris would have grown up picking coffee.
Thousands of miles away, in Sweden, a kindergarten teacher named Hilde Back signed up for a sponsorship program for children in need. She began sending roughly fifteen dollars per term to support a child she had never met, a boy in Kenya named Chris Mburu. That small check kept Chris in school. Back sponsored him through primary school and into secondary school, year after year, never expecting anything in return. She and Chris exchanged letters. She asked about his teachers and his favorite subjects. He began to realize she was not just an institution but a real person who cared about him.
Chris never forgot her. He excelled in his studies and earned a law degree from the University of Nairobi, where he graduated top of his class. He won a Fulbright scholarship to Harvard Law School and became an international human rights lawyer, dedicating his career to fighting genocide and crimes against humanity for the United Nations. But something gnawed at him. He had never properly thanked the woman who made it all possible. He did not even know who she really was.
In 2001, Chris created a scholarship foundation to help children like himself, talented kids from poor families who would otherwise never make it past primary school. He asked the Swedish Ambassador in Kenya to help him track down his mysterious benefactor so he could name the foundation in her honor. They found her. Her name was Hilde Back. Chris traveled to Sweden to meet her for the first time. He expected a wealthy philanthropist. Instead, he found a modest, warm, eighty-year-old woman living a simple life, stunned that anyone thought she had done anything remarkable.
Then a documentary filmmaker named Jennifer Arnold entered the story and uncovered a detail that Hilde had never shared with Chris or almost anyone. Hilde Back was not Swedish. She was a German Jew, born in 1922. At the age of sixteen, with Jewish children banned from public schools under the Nazi Nuremberg Laws, she was forced to flee to Sweden. Her parents could not go with her as Sweden’s policy at the time did not accept older refugees. Both were sent to concentration camps. Her father died. Her mother was transferred to another camp and was never heard from again. Hilde had survived the Holocaust because a stranger helped her escape. She had been denied an education because of who she was. And decades later, she had quietly paid for the education of a child halfway around the world, a child who grew up to fight the very kind of hatred that destroyed her family.
Chris was speechless. Hilde, in turn, had no idea that the boy she sponsored had dedicated his life to combating genocide. In 2003, Hilde traveled to Kenya for the inauguration of the Hilde Back Education Fund. She was welcomed as an honorary village elder by the entire community. In 2012, she returned to celebrate her ninetieth birthday surrounded by the children whose lives had been changed by the foundation that bears her name.
Today, the Hilde Back Education Fund has helped nearly one thousand children in Kenya continue their education. Its beneficiaries have gone on to universities around the world. And they are already beginning to give back, mentoring new students and pooling monthly contributions to sponsor the next generation through a platform they call A Small Act Jamii. Hilde Back passed away on January 13, 2021, in Västerås, Sweden. She was ninety-eight years old. Their story was captured in the Emmy-nominated documentary A Small Act, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to standing ovations and immediate donations, reportedly including from Bill Gates.
Chris once said, “You can’t change the entire world. So sometimes it’s just as good to help one child.” Hilde helped one child. That child built a foundation. That foundation has helped nearly a thousand more. And those children are now helping others. All from fifteen dollars and a stranger’s kindness.
Human angle
LEAH SHARIBU: RANSOM OFFER DETAILS EMERGE AS HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER REVEALS FAILED NEGOTIATION
Fresh reports indicate that Leah Sharibu, the Christian schoolgirl held captive since 2018, may have been offered for release if a ransom was paid, according to international human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe. The disclosure was shared following the eighth anniversary of her abduction, where it was stated that members of Boko Haram had reportedly opened a channel proposing her release in exchange for payment. However, as of press time, there has been no official confirmation from the Federal Government of Nigeria regarding the claim.
Leah Sharibu was abducted in February 2018 alongside other schoolgirls from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State. While most of the girls were later released, Sharibu was reportedly held back after refusing to renounce her Christian faith — a decision that has since made her a global symbol of resilience and religious conviction. Over the years, her continued captivity has drawn condemnation from religious groups, civil society organisations, and international human rights advocates. Campaigns calling for her release have echoed across Nigeria and beyond, keeping public attention fixed on her case.
According to Ogebe, who spoke from Mexico on the eighth anniversary of her abduction, hostage negotiators had established contact with the terrorists through a network of global jihadi intermediaries, leading to a face-to-face meeting between an anti-human trafficking NGO and top terror leaders. Unfortunately, the ransom amount was too excessive for the NGO, and the talks to secure her release subsequently failed. Ogebe disclosed that the amount requested by Boko Haram for Leah’s ransom was almost triple the amount paid by the Nigerian government for the 102 Chibok girls who were ransomed back, reported to be €3 million. He further disclosed that the terrorists involved in the original negotiations have since died, making the likelihood of further negotiations slim unless her current captors establish communication.
“My understanding is that of course the NGO concerned did not have such an amount to pay for Leah’s freedom but more importantly did not want to fund the terrorists to unleash even more weapons and death on others. However, my sources believe that the terrorists asked for such a huge amount then not to buy arms but because they were considering abandoning terrorism and fleeing with the money to take care of themselves well abroad. They did not trust the government’s amnesty program because they said some government officials sponsored them so if they surrendered they would be eliminated to protect their secret. Incidentally all three Boko Haram leaders involved in the negotiations for Leah have since died. If their demands had been more reasonable maybe Leah would’ve been their salvation and their ticket out alive,” Ogebe said.
The latest report raises complex and urgent questions. Security analysts have long warned that ransom payments to terrorist groups can strengthen their operational capacity, potentially financing further attacks or abductions. At the same time, supporters and advocates argue that saving a life should remain the highest priority. The international community has previously called for sustained pressure on extremist groups operating in northeastern Nigeria, but concrete diplomatic or rescue breakthroughs regarding Sharibu’s case have remained elusive.
As this development unfolds, Nigerians and global observers alike await official clarification and a decisive course of action.
Human angle
Editorial Board Chair of Capital Times News Loses Daughter-in-Law to Childbirth Complications
Capital Times News has been thrown into mourning following the death of Mrs. Gloria Odemwingie, daughter-in-law of the Chairman of its Editorial Board, Sir Tommy Odemwingie.
Gloria, wife of Ugie Odemwingie, the chairman’s second son, died in the early hours of Wednesday, February 18, due to complications arising from childbirth.
In a personal statement, Sir Odemwingie expressed deep grief over the tragic loss.
“With utmost sadness, I announce the death, in the early hours of Wednesday, 18 February, of my daughter-in-law Gloria (wife of Ugie, my second son) following complications around her pregnancy. She defied transfusions necessitated by blood loss. The baby is now in an incubator at LUTH. My family are broken,” he stated.
The newborn is currently receiving medical care in an incubator at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
The management and staff of Capital Times News have extended their heartfelt condolences to Sir Odemwingie and his family during this difficult time.
They also prayed for the peaceful repose of Gloria’s soul and for strength and comfort for the bereaved family.
General News
AMASIRI COMMUNITY APPEALS 72-HOUR ULTIMATUM, DENIES ALLEGED KILLINGS AND ABDUCTIONS, ALLEGES GRAVE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, CALLS FOR URGENT FEDERAL, INTL INTERVENTION
The Amasiri Community of Afikpo Local Government Area in Ebonyi State has formally appealed the 72-hour ultimatum issued by Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru directing the community to produce severed heads of alleged victims and return persons reportedly abducted in connection with recent violence in Edda, while also cataloguing its own long list of dead and missing persons and demanding urgent intervention from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the international community.
Community spokesperson Princess Joy Omagha Idam, in a statement, said the community has no knowledge whatsoever of the alleged killings or abductions and did not participate in, facilitate, or condone any such acts. The statement described any attempt to ascribe collective criminal responsibility to Amasiri as a grave violation of the 1999 Constitution which guarantees the presumption of innocence and expressly prohibits collective punishment.
Contrary to the narrative being advanced against it, Amasiri has itself suffered significant and irreparable losses with several sons and daughters killed or abducted, the statement said. Among those abducted is a retired Warrant Officer of the Nigerian Army, Chukwu Charles, alongside his wife Patricia Chukwu Charles and his in-law, whose whereabouts remain unknown. Numerous other innocent residents have been displaced, brutalised, or subjected to inhumane treatment in the course of ongoing security operations, the spokesperson added.
Despite these facts, the community is being threatened with severe sanctions and punitive measures for crimes it knows nothing about, an approach Idam described as unjust, disproportionate, and a serious risk to further escalation of violence and breakdown of law and order.
Of grave concern, the statement said, are credible reports of widespread human rights abuses allegedly committed during security operations in Amasiri, with senior citizens reportedly assaulted on a daily basis and women allegedly flogged, humiliated, and forced to roll on the ground under the scorching sun while being coerced to summon their sons who fled in fear for their lives. These acts amount to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment prohibited under Section 34 of the Nigerian Constitution and relevant international instruments to which Nigeria is a signatory.
The ongoing siege has resulted in severe humanitarian consequences, with children of Amasiri unable to attend school or sit for critical national examinations including the Common Entrance Examination and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. Idam said this constitutes a violation of the right to education and threatens the future of an entire generation of innocent children.
Within the last two weeks alone, Amasiri has lost numerous lives. The community asked whether Amasiri lives are not entitled to equal protection under the law and whether the Governor of Ebonyi State did not swear an oath to protect all citizens without discrimination. Idam also questioned whether there are material facts concerning Amasiri land and interests that have not been disclosed to the public, particularly given that Amasiri is widely recognised as one of the highest revenue-generating communities in Ebonyi State.
The statement provided a detailed list of its own citizens either killed or abducted by Edda people, to which it said it has petitioned and to date no justice has been given, instead the complainant is at the receiving end.
On 20th January 2025, six persons were abducted and killed by Edda: Sunday Oko Akwa, Oko Akpu Egele, Christian Enya, Agha Oko, Itoro Essien, and Monday Abang. On 2nd April 2025, two persons were adopted in Ozaraokangwu and killed: Obinna Oko Eze of Amaukwa Ndukwe and Emmanuel Okpara of Agbo-ezi Ihie elu. In December 2025, an electrician, Mr Monday Ogbonnia from Uhere Ohaechara, was bundled, killed, and his body taken. On 26th August 2025, Mr Ndubuisi Agha Ukpai from Ezi Idam Ali Amaegbu Ezeke was killed in his rice farm at Ihubeni. On Saturday 3rd February 2026, Ndubuisi Agha Ukpai was shot by soldiers sent to Amasiri with no means of taking him to hospital as the soldiers blocked all exits, and he passed away the next morning from excessive bleeding on 7th February 2026.
Regarding the Warrant Officer, Idam confirmed the name as Chukwu Charles, his wife Patricia Chukwu Charles, and a third person described as an Ugwulangwu woman they went to farm with who was not killed.
The security agencies should rather look towards the community where the drivers of burnt trucks come from, who may have retaliated on the Okporojo people, the statement said, adding that the community has no idea as there was no motive.
In light of the clear and present danger to lives, liberty, and fundamental human rights, Idam urgently called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chief of Army Staff, the Honourable Minister of Defence, and the National Boundaries Commission to intervene immediately. The community demands an impartial, transparent, and independent investigation into the allegations of killings, abductions, and the conduct of security forces in Amasiri with a view to ensuring accountability and justice.
Amasiri remains committed to peace, the rule of law, and lawful resolution of disputes, Idam said, but unequivocally rejects intimidation, threats, and collective punishment against innocent civilians. She appealed to the conscience of the Nigerian state and the international community to act swiftly to halt ongoing abuses, protect vulnerable populations, and restore peace founded on truth, justice, and respect for human rights.