A Borno State High Court has reportedly sentenced a Christian woman, Liyatu Samuel Dawa, to 14 years in prison over allegations that she influenced a Muslim woman to convert to Christianity, raising fresh questions about religious freedom and the circumstances surrounding the case.
Justice A. B. Kumdila reportedly handed down the sentence under Section 210 of the Borno State Penal Code.
Dawa, a mother from Gwoza, was said to have told the court that she merely advised the woman and appealed for leniency.
In a significant aspect of the case, the woman at the centre of the controversy reportedly testified that she embraced Christianity voluntarily and was not forced to change her religion.
The circumstances surrounding the conviction have prompted concerns about the evidence presented in court and the legal basis for the sentence, particularly in light of constitutional provisions protecting freedom of religion in Nigeria.
Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the right to change one’s religion and to manifest or propagate religious beliefs through teaching, worship, practice and observance.
Section 42 also prohibits discrimination against Nigerian citizens on grounds of religion, among other protected characteristics.
However, the precise charges against Dawa, the court’s full reasoning and the details of the judgment were not independently available for verification at the time of reporting.
Dawa’s husband, Evangelist Amos Suleman, has reportedly gone into hiding following alleged threats to his life.
Suleman claimed he spent months in detention before being released on bail and said subsequent threats had left him afraid for his safety.
“I’m on the run; my life is under threat,” he was quoted as saying.
He also expressed concern that his security situation could prevent him from visiting his wife in prison.
