* PFN, CLASFON caution CAN, Christian platforms against misleading ‘adult Muslim convert’ accounts
* No Nigerian law criminalises preaching, The People’s Lawyer clarifies
The Borno State High Court has sentenced a Christian woman, Lami Samuel Dawa, to 14 years’ imprisonment over the removal of a 16-year-old Muslim girl, Aisha Kabir Saleh, from her parents’ custody, amid controversy over claims that she was jailed simply for preaching Christianity and converting a Muslim woman.
Justice A. B. Kumdila of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri Judicial Division, delivered the judgment on May 5, 2026, in suit number BOHC/MG/CR/154/2025, following a trial in which the prosecution called four witnesses and tendered documentary evidence.
The judgment, a certified copy of which Muslim News Nigeria obtained, shows that Dawa and four other defendants faced six charges bordering on conspiracy to abduct a child, enticing a minor away from parental custody, abduction and removal from lawful custody, deprivation of education, interference with the minor’s religious practice and conversion to Christianity, as well as screening an offender and evidence.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants were involved in circumstances that led to the girl’s movement from her family home in Maiduguri to Christian institutions in Jos. The girl testified that she first converted to Christianity at the age of 13, while she was still a minor.
The case has generated widespread reactions, with some Christian organisations and online platforms presenting the conviction as punishment for sharing the Christian faith, while other Christian leaders and lawyers have cautioned against such a description.
What the court document says
The certified judgment identifies the defendants as Lami Samuel Dawa, Binta Mamman Sasuwa, Esther Simon, Yusuf Anuwa and Amos Suleiman. It states that all the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The six counts included conspiracy to abduct a child, punishable under Section 60(2) of the Borno State Penal Code Law, 2023; enticing a child to move away from the custody of her parents, under Section 210 of the same law; and abduction and removal of a child from lawful parental custody under Section 24(2)(11) of the Borno State Child Protection Law.
The Borno State High Court convicted Lami Samuel Dawa and sentenced her to 14 years’ imprisonment in a case involving the alleged abduction and removal of a 16-year-old girl from her parents’ custody. So, she was not jailed simply for sharing her faith, as some narratives suggest https://t.co/Fogss47s6H
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) November 1, 2026
Other charges concerned depriving the child of education under Section 26(2)(b), depriving her of practising her religion and converting her to Christianity under Section 9 of the Child Protection Law, 2021, and screening an offender and evidence under Section 131 of the Penal Code Law.
The prosecution’s first witness, Aisha Kabir Saleh, told the court that she was 13 and in Junior Secondary School 3 when she became acquainted with a teacher she called Uncle Sani.
According to her testimony, the teacher treated her as his best student, bought things for her and later gave her his telephone number. After she contacted him, he invited her to Ngumalti Super Store, where he bought some items for her before taking her to the residence of the second defendant, Binta Mamman Sasuwa.
Aisha testified that Binta told her she had previously been a Muslim before converting to Christianity. She also said Binta spoke about the challenges of Christian life, the benefits she had received and the need to remain patient.
The witness further narrated that they later visited the residence of the third defendant, Esther Simon, where they spent the night. The following day, Esther reportedly took her to church, introduced her to a pastor and gave her a Bible to read.
Aisha told the court that she was subsequently taken to Jos and enrolled at Ismail Haga Foundation, which she described as a Bible school for new converts and discipleship. She said she spent one year there before proceeding to Christian Faith Ministry for a diploma programme.
The witness later fell ill and underwent surgery to remove her appendix. She testified that after recovering, she became homesick, contacted her mother using a telephone borrowed from friends and eventually returned to Maiduguri.
Allegation of a second departure from home
A significant part of Aisha’s testimony concerned what she described as events after her return to Maiduguri.
She told the court that her mother wanted her to resume school and eventually sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
According to the witness, Dawa later asked whether she had previously converted to Christianity. After she answered in the affirmative, Dawa allegedly told her that her parents were planning to kill her because of her conversion and advised her to bring the money her mother would provide for her examination.
RE: Conviction of Christian Woman in Borno…: You can see from the reports below how some Christians and their platforms can manipulate or misrepresent stories to serve their interests, even when their narratives contradict details contained in official court documents. SAD! 1/3 https://t.co/cj7gQ5gbmo
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) November 1, 2026
Aisha alleged that after receiving the examination money from her mother, she handed it to Dawa, who allegedly prepared her to leave home.
She further testified that Dawa gave her a telephone and a SIM card, instructed her to meet at Baga Road and brought her daughter’s clothes for her to change out of her school uniform.
The witness said Dawa arranged for her to travel to Jos and gave her ₦3,000 for the journey. She alleged that Dawa later called and instructed her to disembark at Bauchi because the search for her had intensified.
Aisha said she stayed with a man in Bauchi for three days before proceeding to Jos. She also alleged that Dawa visited her at the Christian ministry and gave her ₦15,000 to purchase personal items.
The witness told the court that she later decided to leave the Christian ministry and return home. After contacting her mother and staying briefly with relatives in Jos, she eventually returned to Maiduguri.
She said she brought out the items Dawa had given her and showed them to her family. Her family reportedly invited Dawa to hear her account, but a disagreement followed and the matter was eventually taken to the police.
During cross-examination, Aisha told the court that she was born in 2009 and was 16 years old when she testified. She also confirmed that she converted to Christianity at the age of 13 and that her house faced Dawa’s residence.
CAN describes alleged convert as adult woman
Despite the details contained in the court document, some media reports and online commentaries have presented the case as one involving a Christian woman who was jailed for converting an adult Muslim woman.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in a statement issued by its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, also referred to reports that the case arose from the conversion of an adult woman to Christianity.
In a report published on October 31, 2026, TheCable quoted Okoh as saying that the association was concerned about Dawa’s continued incarceration and had filed an appeal against the judgment.
“The Association is particularly concerned by reports that the case arose from circumstances involving the conversion of an adult woman to Christianity, although the precise facts and legal basis of the conviction are still being verified,” the CAN statement said.
Okoh added that “an appeal has been filed and CAN is committed to allowing the judicial process to run its course.”
He further stated that “every individual has the right to freely choose, change or practise their religion or belief without coercion, intimidation or unlawful punishment.”
The CAN president called on the authorities to protect the rights of all parties and ensure that justice was served in accordance with the Constitution and the law.
However, the description of the victim as an adult woman conflicts with the certified court document obtained by Muslim News Nigeria, which identifies Aisha Kabir Saleh as a minor who was 16 when she testified. The witness also told the court that she was 13 when she converted to Christianity.
Although CAN said it was still verifying the precise facts and legal basis of the conviction, its statement has been circulated alongside headlines that present the case primarily as punishment for religious conversion.
PFN, CLASFON caution against misleading accounts
Interestingly, some Christian legal representatives have offered a different account of the case, cautioning against reducing the conviction to an allegation that Dawa was jailed simply for preaching or converting a Muslim girl.
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Yidawi, chairman of the Maiduguri branch of CLASFON, disclosed that the organisation represented Dawa and the other defendants during the trial.
He confirmed that Dawa was convicted while the other four defendants were discharged and acquitted.
Yidawi said the allegations against the defendants included conspiracy to abduct a child, enticing or inducing a child to leave parental custody, removing a child from the lawful custody of her parents, depriving the child of access to education and interfering with her religious practice and conversion.
He also disclosed that an appeal had been initiated against the judgment.
Similarly, the National Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop David Bakare, urged Christians to exercise restraint and investigate the circumstances surrounding the conviction before making public comments.
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Bakare said the information circulating publicly did not accurately represent the circumstances of the case.
“PFN has been informed about the case, but our investigation shows that the case is not exactly as it is in the public domain, and I will advise that those commenting on the case should do a detailed investigation,” he said.
He added: “We are being careful; we don’t want to pursue a case just anyhow. We don’t want to be ridiculed as uninformed people.”
Bakare said the fellowship was monitoring the case and welcomed the fact that an appeal had been initiated.
“We are happy that the case is in the appeal court and we are monitoring what is happening. But in the interim, there is a need to tread softly and carefully on the matter,” he said.
The People’s Lawyer: Case was about removal of a minor, not preaching
A legal commentary platform, The People’s Lawyer, through Atanda, also challenged the portrayal of the case as a prosecution for preaching Christianity.
In a social media analysis, Atanda said he reviewed the court document after receiving several messages asking him to comment on the matter.
He stated that Dawa was not prosecuted or sentenced simply because she preached to a Muslim minor who subsequently converted to Christianity.
According to him, the central legal issue behind the conviction was the alleged unlawful removal or enticement of a minor from parental custody under Section 210 of the Penal Code.
“She was not sentenced to 14 years because she preached to a Muslim minor and had her convert to Christian,” Atanda wrote.
He added that the legal indictment and conviction centred on child custody and the alleged unlawful removal of the minor from her parents.
Atanda argued that taking a minor away from parental custody without the required consent could constitute an offence under the relevant law, stressing that the case should not be presented as though preaching or religious conversion alone was the basis for the sentence.
He also referred to Section 38 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to change or adopt a religion.
“The law is not emotional. Ignorance of the law is no excuse,” he stated.
While Atanda’s commentary is a legal interpretation and not a substitute for the court’s full reasoning, it aligns with the caution expressed by PFN and CLASFON against portraying the case as a straightforward prosecution for preaching.
Media headlines fuel religious controversy
The controversy has been amplified by headlines from several online platforms that describe Dawa’s sentence as punishment for sharing her faith or converting a Muslim woman.
Barnabas Aid, for instance, published the headline, “Nigerian Christian Woman Sentenced to 14 Years for Sharing Her Faith.”
Nigerian Bulletin used the headline, “Christian Woman Gets 14-Year Jail Term in Borno Over Adult Woman’s Conversion,” while Hetty’s Media reported, “Court Sentences Christian Woman to 14 Years for Converting Muslim Woman.”
Law and Society Magazine also framed the matter as “14 Years in Prison Over a Conversion Case,” while other platforms described the conviction as punishment for religious evangelism.
Such headlines have the potential to give readers the impression that the court convicted Dawa simply for preaching Christianity to an adult Muslim woman who voluntarily changed her religion.
However, the court document identifies the alleged victim as a minor and lists child abduction, removal from parental custody and other child protection offences among the charges. The account provided by CLASFON also identifies deprivation of lawful parental custody as the basis of Dawa’s sentence.
Borno government says case is a legal matter
When contacted by Saturday PUNCH, the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, described the matter as a technical legal issue and said he had no knowledge of the case.
“The issue is a technical and legal matter. I have no knowledge of it,” Tar said.
Meanwhile, the appeal initiated on behalf of Dawa provides an opportunity for the appellate court to examine the trial court’s findings and the legal issues arising from the conviction.
For now, the available court record and statements from Christian legal representatives indicate that the case involved allegations concerning a minor’s movement from parental custody, rather than a prosecution based solely on the act of preaching Christianity.
Muslim News Nigeria will continue to follow the appeal and report any further judicial findings or official clarification on the matter.
Sponsored
Sponsored
Nigerian Muslim Personalities of the Year 2024/2025
Global Muslim Personalities of the Year 2024/2025
Discover more from Muslim News Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.