Segun Awofadeji in Gombe
The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), Billiri Local Government Area chapter of Gombe State, has condemned the Bauchi State Government and its Child Welfare Agency for allegedly refusing to release a 17-year-old Christian girl despite a binding Federal High Court order.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Sarki P. Napthali, and issued on August 2, 2026, YOWICAN described the continued detention of Miss Faith Barnabas as “a direct violation of the rule of law and contempt of court.”
According to the group, Faith, an indigene of Billiri LGA in Gombe State who resides with a guardian in Bauchi, went missing from her grandmother’s residence in April 2026 shortly after completing her university entrance examinations.
The crisis, YOWICAN said, deepened when the family received correspondence on April 20, 2026, from the Bauchi State Shari’ah Commission indicating that the minor had converted to Islam and adopted the name “Sa’adatu.”
The statement further alleged that an adult male, Mr. Sadiq Ahmad Hassan, who had been grooming the teenager for years, removed her from Jos to an undisclosed location on April 30, 2026.
Rather than return her to her mother and sole surviving parent, Mrs. Kumabe Zakari, YOWICAN said the minor was placed in the custody of the Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency (BASOVCA).
The group noted that despite an interim order by a Bauchi District Court on May 20, 2026, directing her release to her mother, BASOVCA allegedly refused to comply and barred the mother from access while allegedly permitting the said Mr. Hassan.
Seeking redress, Mrs. Zakari filed a Fundamental Rights suit on June 29 at the Federal High Court, Jos Division, Plateau State, against the Bauchi State Government, Attorney-General, Shari’ah Commission, BASOVCA, Nigeria Police, and Hassan.
On July 6, the Federal High Court delivered judgment and ordered the immediate release of Faith Barnabas to her mother. YOWICAN, however, said that as of August 2, the order had not been obeyed.
The Christian group argued that the non-compliance violates Sections 35, 37 and 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution on personal liberty, family life, and freedom of religion, as well as the Child Rights Act 2003 and Bauchi State Child Protection Law 2023, which defines a child as anyone below 18.
The group also cited Nigeria’s obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ICCPR and UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and linked the case to a broader pattern flagged by UN Special Rapporteurs in a June 8 communication to the Nigerian Government on alleged abductions and forced conversions of Christian minors in northern Nigeria.
YOWICAN, therefore, demanded immediate compliance with the court judgment, enforcement by the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police, initiation of contempt proceedings against defaulting officials, and the nullification of all administrative actions purporting to change the minor’s religion and name.
The body called on the federal government, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), diplomatic missions and UN agencies to intervene, warning that failure to release Faith undermines democracy, judicial independence, and child protection in Nigeria. It pledged solidarity with Mrs. Zakari and vowed to pursue all legal remedies.