A Borno State High Court has sentenced a Christian woman to 14 years imprisonment over allegations that she influenced an adult Muslim woman to convert to Christianity.
The convict has been identified in reports as Liyatu Samuel Dawa, also referred to as Lami Samuel Dawa, a Christian mother from Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
The judgment was delivered by Justice A. B. Kumdila of Borno State High Court No 12 in Maiduguri. The court convicted her under Section 210 of the Penal Code Laws of Borno State, a provision relating to depriving a parent or guardian of lawful custody of a child.
The court imposed a 14 year prison sentence on Count One without an option of fine.
According to accounts of the proceedings, the adult woman at the centre of the case testified that she converted to Christianity of her own free will. She insisted that she was neither forced, induced nor deceived by Dawa.
Despite the testimony, the court found Dawa guilty and handed down the custodial sentence.
Before sentencing, Dawa pleaded for leniency.
“I am a mother. I did not intend to cheat the victim. I only advised her. That is all,” she told the court.
The judgment dated May 5, 2026 has sparked controversy among human rights advocates and religious freedom campaigners, who have questioned the legal basis for the conviction.
A human rights lawyer, Samuel John, described the conviction as having no constitutional basis, calling it “unconstitutional and deeply troubling.”
Reports said Dawa’s husband, Evangelist Amos Suleman, was previously detained in connection with the case before securing bail. He now lives in hiding after receiving death threats from local extremists.
The case also drew reaction from the Christian Association of Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Saturday, October 31, 2026, by its National President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, CAN expressed deep concern over the continued imprisonment of Lami Dawa and disclosed that it has formally filed an appeal against the judgment.
CAN said it was committed to protecting religious freedom and allowing the judicial process to run its course.
“The precise facts and legal basis of the conviction are still being verified,” CAN said.
The Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria, CLASFON, which represented Dawa and four co-defendants, said the other four were discharged and acquitted. It said the charges included conspiracy to abduct a child, enticing a child to leave parental custody, removal from lawful custody, deprivation of education and interference with religious practice.
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria also urged restraint, cautioning against reducing the case to claims that Dawa was convicted simply for preaching.
Observers note that under Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, every citizen is guaranteed the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the freedom to change religion.
The appeal against the 14 year sentence is now pending.
