A Borno State High Court has sentenced Liyatu Samuel Dawa, a Christian mother from Gwoza, to 14 years imprisonment with no option of fine.
Justice A. B. Kumdila convicted her under Section 210 of the Borno Penal Code.
Her offence: She shared her Christian faith with an adult Muslim woman who later converted.
In court, the convert testified that she converted *of her own free will* and was not forced, induced or deceived.
Dawa pleaded for leniency: _“I am a mother. I did not intend to cheat the victim. I only advised her. That is all.”_
The judge rejected her plea and imposed the maximum sentence.
Her husband, Evangelist Amos Suleman, who was earlier detained in the case, is now in hiding after receiving death threats. The family cannot visit her in Maiduguri.
Rights groups say the ruling violates Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
The case has triggered calls for urgent intervention by the Senate and the National Judicial Council (NJC) and for bail pending appeal.
Source : Truth Nigeria Report