A Borno State High Court has sentenced Lami Samuel Dawa, a Christian woman from Gwoza Local Government Area, to 14 years’ imprisonment in a case that has triggered fresh concerns over religious freedom, the scope of state penal laws and the protection of constitutional rights in Nigeria.
Justice A. B. Kumalia of High Court No. 12, Maiduguri, convicted Dawa under Section 210 of the Borno State Penal Code, a provision dealing with the unlawful deprivation of a parent’s or guardian’s lawful custody of a child. The court reportedly imposed the 14-year sentence on Count One without an option of a fine.
According to accounts of the proceedings, the adult woman at the centre of the case testified that she converted to Christianity voluntarily, without coercion, inducement or deception. Despite that testimony, the court found Dawa guilty and handed down the custodial sentence.
Dawa, a mother, pleaded for leniency before sentencing. “I am a mother. I did not intend to cheat the victim. I only advised her. That is all,” she reportedly told the court.
Human rights advocates and religious-freedom campaigners have questioned how Section 210, which concerns the custody of a child, applies to allegations involving religious discussions between adults. They argue that the provision appears difficult to reconcile with the facts publicly reported in the case.
Critics have also cited Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the right to change or manifest one’s religious beliefs. They contend that a 14-year sentence for a consensual religious conversation between adults raises serious constitutional questions.
The Chairman of the Gwoza Refugees Resettlement Initiative, Gavvs Katiya, condemned the conviction as an attack on religious freedom, while rights advocates have called on the Christian Association of Nigeria, lawyers and international organisations to support an appeal.
Dawa’s husband, Evangelist Amos Suleman, was reportedly detained for several months in connection with the case before securing bail. He is said to be living in hiding following alleged death threats from extremists in Gwoza.
He has appealed to human rights organisations and religious-freedom advocates to intervene and assist in securing his wife’s release.
The Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria, Borno State chapter, said an appeal had been initiated. It cautioned against reducing the case solely to preaching or conversion, noting that the defendants faced allegations including conspiracy to abduct a child, inducing a child to leave parental custody, depriving the child of education and interfering with the child’s religious practice.
CLASFON also said four defendants were discharged and acquitted, while urging the public to distinguish between allegations, evidence, the trial court’s findings and the grounds for appeal.
The development has renewed scrutiny of religious freedom in Borno State, particularly in communities already affected by years of insurgency, displacement and religious tension. Attention is now focused on whether the appellate courts will review the conviction and clarify the legal basis for the sentence.�