A Borno State High Court has sentenced a Christian mother, Liyatu Samuel Dawa, to 14 years imprisonment for sharing her Christian faith with an adult woman who later converted to Christianity — a judgment that has sparked national outrage over religious freedom.
The judgment was delivered by Hon. Justice A. B. Kumdila at the Borno State High Court, according to a certified copy of the judgment obtained by Truth Nigeria and corroborated by International Christian Concern (ICC) on October 14, 2026.
Liyatu Dawa, from Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, was accused of advising an adult Muslim woman about Christianity.
In court, the adult woman reportedly testified clearly and without coercion that she converted entirely of her own free will, and that no one forced, induced, or cheated her.
Despite that testimony, prosecutors charged Dawa under Section 210 of the Penal Code Laws of Borno State — a provision that deals with depriving a parent of lawful custody of a child, which legal analysts say has no application to an adult voluntarily changing faith.
Before sentencing, Dawa pleaded for leniency:
“I’m a mother. I did not intend to cheat the victim. I only advised her. That is all.”
Justice Kumdila rejected the plea and imposed the maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment on Count 1, with no option of fine.
While Dawa remains in custody in Maiduguri, her husband, Evangelist Amos Suleman, who was previously detained for months in connection with the case, is now said to be in hiding after receiving death threats from extremists in Gwoza, near the Cameroon border — an epicenter of Boko Haram insurgency.
Human rights advocates say the ruling breaches Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change religion, and Section 42 which prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.
Advocates ask: Has any Muslim in Borno ever received 14 years for sharing Islam with a Christian adult who converted to Islam? No public record exists.
Lawyers are reportedly preparing to appeal the conviction.
