The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and the Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON) have urged Nigerians to exercise restraint and avoid spreading unverified claims about the conviction of Mrs. Lami Samuel Dawa, a Christian woman sentenced to 14 years in prison by a Borno State High Court. The appeal comes as outrage spreads on social media, with many framing the case as religious persecution.
Court Sentence and Charges
Justice A. B. Kumdila of the Borno State High Court handed down the sentence under Section 210 of the state's Penal Code. The judgment, dated May 5, 2026, convicted Dawa for depriving a parent of the lawful custody of his child.
Ephraim Yidawi, chairman of the Maiduguri Branch of CLASFON, said his fellowship represented Dawa and four co-defendants during the trial. While Dawa was convicted, the other four were discharged and acquitted. Yidawi cautioned that reducing the case to a story about preaching or religious conversion was misleading.
Full Charges and Appeal
Yidawi said the charges covered conspiracy to abduct a child, enticing or inducing a child to leave parental custody, removing a child from her parents' lawful care, denying the child access to education, and interfering with the child's religious practice and conversion. He confirmed that an appeal had been filed and that the legal team was pursuing the appropriate remedies.
PFN National Secretary Bishop David Bakare told The Punch that the fellowship had investigated the matter and found that what was circulating publicly did not reflect the full picture 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," Bakare said.
Official and Legal Reactions
Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, described the matter as a legal issue and said he had no knowledge of it. "The issue is a technical and legal matter. I have no knowledge of it," The Punch quoted him as saying.
Muhammed Adam Ndakudu, Esq., a Nigerian lawyer popular on X, said he has read the full judgment and, in a separate post, cautioned an X user who claimed that Dawa was jailed because of "converting a Muslim to a Christian." He wrote: "These are the issues. People just jump on trending topics to grow their accounts by simply pushing false and misleading narratives. You did not read the judgement. You did not do any independent investigation or checks. You guys need to do better and stop causing unnecessary tension in the country."
Bakare added that the fellowship was satisfied an appeal had already been filed. "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.
