"Back in 2020, Yahaya was accused by others on the WhatsApp chat of blasphemy for allegedly insulting the prophet Muhammad.

A violent mob then burned down his house, before Yahaya (above) was arrested by the Hisbah Islamic religious police and then sentenced to death by hanging in a Sharia court.

In the trial, Yahaya didn't even have legal counsel.

Retrial ordered

The conviction was overturned, and a new trial was ordered in January 2021 based on procedural irregularities.

Yahaya appealed the retrial order, arguing that the case should be dismissed entirely, and the blasphemy law be ruled unconstitutional.

In August 2022, a Court of Appeal upheld the constitutionality of the blasphemy law and affirmed the retrial order.

Yahaya has been in prison for over six years, awaiting a decision that will determine whether he will be free, or once again face the death penalty.

Blasphemy laws violate religious freedom

Blasphemy laws punish speech that others find offensive towards their own beliefs or sacred symbols.

Primarily found in countries that implement Islamic Sharia law, they are used to punish and persecute religious minorities, including some minority Muslims like Yahaya. But they are also frequently wielded against Christians, including in Nigeria, and can lead to horrific incidents of mob violence.

Everyone has the right to freely exercise their religion. But blasphemy laws violate religious freedom and international human rights.

In part due to the blasphemy laws in Nigeria, religious persecution is particularly severe in the West African country.

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ADF International is standing alongside Yahaya

Yahaya was due to face court last month, but the Supreme Court abruptly canceled the hearing.

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ADF International is calling for Yahaya's release and the overturning of blasphemy laws, urging the Court and international bodies to act without further delay.

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It is rare for the European Parliament to raise the same case twice, demonstrating the gravity and importance of the situation facing Yahaya.

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Thank you for standing with us.

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With gratitude,

ADF International"

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and

Dear Dr. Henning,

Sarah*, 22, lived in an abusive home in northern Nigeria, where her family tried to push her into a forced marriage.

She refused, and the family arranged for Kano State's Hisbah police - the Islamic morality police - to arrest her. She was held for four days and beaten during her detention.

After her release, Sarah fled and found refuge with a Christian family, the Abaras. While staying with them, she gave her life to Christ.

A family punished for showing kindness

Fearing further danger from the Hisbah and her family after her release and conversion to Christianity, the Abaras helped Sarah relocate to safety in nearby state.

Her siblings then accused the Christian family of kidnapping.

The Abaras were arraigned without legal counsel. They're out on bail, but a criminal case against them is still moving through the courts in Kano, right now.

God's hand at work in Nigeria

There is good news.

Although the Abaras have not yet been vindicated, a Federal High Court ruled that the Hisbah had no authority to arrest Sarah over her conversion and refusal to marry, calling the police's actions a "flagrant violation" of her fundamental rights, and ordered compensation.

ADF is supporting both Sarah's and the Abaras' cases. Sean Nelson, ADF's Senior Counsel for Global Religious Freedom, said:

"The state should never seek to punish someone for peacefully practicing their faith or helping others live out their faith safely. We have seen a growing move to assert Islamic law over the rights of Christians and other religions in Nigeria.

We hope Sarah's case will serve in countering the expansion of Hisbah jurisdiction, will help to free the Abaras who should have all charges dropped against them immediately, and will lead to the affirmation of religious freedom for all in Nigeria, regardless of their chosen faith."

The UN is taking action in Nigeria

Sarah's case is not isolated. This week, five UN Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups published a formal letter to the Nigerian government, warning that Christian women and girls face a "heightened risk" of brutal, religiously-motivated violence. The experts cited harrowing cases: the forced conversion and marriage of a 13-year-old girl, the abduction of a pastor's daughters by Boko Haram, and a 16-year-old girl whose hand was cut off after her family refused a forced marriage proposal.

The numbers are alarming: of the 4,849 Christians killed for their faith worldwide in 2025, over 70% were killed in Nigeria alone. All the while, the UN has called out that Sharia enforcement is fostering "systemic discrimination against non-Muslims".

This is why ADF International's work cannot slow down

The Abaras still face criminal charges for helping a young Christian woman reach safety. And with the Nigerian government failing to even respond to the UN's warnings, pressure to act must come from somewhere.

Right now, the Abaras need that more than ever, along with the countless Christian women and girls across Nigeria, whom the UN has now formally recognised as being at risk.

There is no better moment to stand with Nigeria's persecuted Christians - will you support them today?

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