The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has expressed concern over the 14-year prison sentence handed to a Christian woman, Lami Samuel Dawa, by a Borno State High Court, saying the case raises critical questions about religious freedom and the protection of fundamental human rights.
CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, confirming that an appeal had been filed against the conviction.
While acknowledging the need to allow the judicial process to take its course, the association said the circumstances surrounding the case had brought into focus the constitutional rights of Nigerians to freely choose and practise their religion.
“The case raises important questions about the protection of religious freedom and the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” CAN stated.
The association maintained that every Nigerian should be able to choose, change or practise their faith without coercion, intimidation or unlawful punishment.
It called on relevant authorities to ensure that the rights of all parties involved were protected and that justice was administered in accordance with the Constitution and applicable laws.
“CAN remains committed to the peaceful coexistence of Nigerians of all religious backgrounds and to the protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms of every citizen,” the statement added.
The Christian body also said it would continue to monitor developments in the case and engage relevant authorities through appropriate legal and institutional channels.
Dawa was sentenced to 14 years in prison by the Borno State High Court in a judgment delivered on May 5, 2026.
However, the Chairman of the Maiduguri branch of the Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria, Ephraim Yidawi, had warned against presenting the case as one in which the woman was jailed merely for preaching to a girl or converting her to Christianity.
Yidawi, whose organisation provided legal representation for Dawa and four other defendants during the trial, explained that the charges against them went beyond religious conversion.
According to him, the allegations included conspiracy to abduct a child, enticing a child to leave parental custody, removing the child from her parents' lawful custody, depriving her of access to education and interfering with her religious practice and conversion.
He clarified that the court convicted Dawa on the charge of depriving a parent of the lawful custody of his child, while the four other defendants were discharged and acquitted.
The Christian Lawyers Fellowship also confirmed that an appeal had been initiated to challenge the judgment.
Similarly, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) had appealed for restraint among Christians, urging members of the faith not to rush to conclusions without first examining the court proceedings and the circumstances surrounding the conviction.
The interventions by CAN, PFN and the Christian Lawyers Fellowship have brought renewed attention to the sensitive intersection of parental rights, child protection, religious freedom and constitutional guarantees in Nigeria.
While CAN has reiterated its commitment to peaceful coexistence among people of different religious persuasions, it insists that the fundamental rights of every citizen must be protected and that the judicial process must deliver justice in accordance with the law.
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