A Jos-based Christian widow, Mrs Kumabe Zakari, has dragged the Bauchi State Government and six others to court over the alleged kidnapping, forced conversion and prolonged detention of her 17-year-old daughter, Faith Barnabas.
The complaint was filed before the Federal High Court, Jos on June 29, 2026, praying for the immediate release of the adolescent and N150 million damages for alleged violation of her fundamental rights.
The respondents are the Bauchi State Government, Bauchi State Shari’ah Commission, Police Service Commission, Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State Command, Attorney-General of Bauchi State, Sadiq Ahmad Hassan and Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency (BASOVCA).
Faith, born May 31, 2009, was reported missing in April, 2026 from her grandmother’s residence in Bauchi shortly after she sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), an affidavit filed in support of the lawsuit said.
Hassan, who Mrs Zakari referred to as her daughter’s supposed boyfriend, had been trying to lure the girl away for a number of years, Mrs Zakari said.
She said Faith was finally removed out of Jos on 30 April and brought to an unidentified location.
The application further claimed police then apprehended Hassan who reportedly told them where the teenager was being kept.
Mrs Zakari also said her mother got a letter from the Bauchi State Shari’ah Commission that Faith had converted to Islam and changed her name to Sa’adatu.
The mother is contesting the apparent conversion, stating that Faith is 17, a minor, and that her religious freedom should be exercised under parental control.
The charges in the lawsuit are just that – allegations – and will be decided by a court of law.”
The applicant also told the court that the Principal District Court, Bauchi on the 20th of May, 2026, issued an interim order directing that Faith should be released to her.
But BASOVCA has reportedly refused to comply with the decision and has denied the mother access to her daughter, the suit says.
Mrs Zakari also said Hassan had been allowed to see the adolescent.
She has asked the Federal High Court to order BASOVCA to immediately hand over Faith to her care.
The applicant claimed 13 reliefs which include declarations that the alleged activities of the respondents breach the requirements of sections 35, 37, 38 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution on personal liberty, privacy, freedom of thought, conscience and religion and freedom of movement.
The petitioner is also praying for an order of injunction against the respondents, especially the Shari’ah Commission, from inviting and questioning her further on the purported conversion of her daughter.
Alternatively, she is seeking N50 million damages against the Police Service Commission and another N100 million jointly and severally against some of the respondents as general and exemplary damages.
Counsel to Mrs Zakari, Wholesome Attorneys, contended that Faith is a child under the Bauchi State Child Protection Law 2023.
The lawyers highlighted Section 8 of the law, which permits parental or legal-guardian supervision in the exercise of a child’s rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
They also relied on prior rulings like Incorporated Trustees of the Christian Association of Nigeria v. Kwara State Government (2020) on religious freedom and Jim-Jaja v. Commissioner of Police, Rivers State (2013) on compensation for breach of fundamental rights.
The lawyers said urgent intervention was needed, saying the extended imprisonment of the teenager could lead to psychological trauma and subsequent rights abuses.
The matter was scheduled for hearing on July 15, 2026.
About the Author
