Nigerian Christian Mother Reportedly Sentenced to 14 Years After Sharing Her Faith
An advocacy group says a Borno State court jailed Liyatu Samuel Dawa after a Muslim woman she spoke with converted. The court record has not been made public.
BORNO STATE, Nigeria —
A Christian mother from the Gwoza area of Borno State in northeastern Nigeria has reportedly been sentenced to 14 years in prison after sharing her faith with a Muslim woman, International Christian Concern (ICC) reported Oct. 21.
According to ICC, which cited reporting by TruthNigeria, Liyatu Samuel Dawa was sentenced in the Borno State High Court before Justice A. B. Kumdila under Section 210 of the state's Penal Code. The report does not name the specific offense. The woman she spoke with testified that she converted of her own free will, and Dawa reportedly told the court she had only given the woman advice and asked for leniency.
Her husband, evangelist Amos Suleman, says he spent months in detention before being released on bail and is now in hiding because of threats. “I'm on the run; my life is under threat,” Suleman said, according to ICC. The group notes his claims about the threats have not been verified.
Gavvs Katiya, chairman of the Gwoza Refugees Resettlement Initiative, called the sentence disproportionate. The Borno State government had not commented publicly, ICC said.
ICC says the full judgment and case record are needed to confirm the legal basis for the conviction, and that available reporting does not link the case to Boko Haram or the Islamic State West Africa Province. Nigeria's constitution protects freedom of religion, including the right to change one's religion and to share it with others.
