Christian campaigners say they’re “incensed” after seven children who were taken from Christian centres for vulnerable children in Nigeria seven years ago remain in custody.
The children were among 27 minors seized from the Du Merci centres in Kaduna and Kano States in December 2019 by armed police. The orphanage founder, Professor Solomon Tarfa, and his wife, Mercy, were accused of illegally running the homes. The charges proved baseless, after it was shown in court that Du Merci had operated correctly and legally for decades.
The children were subsequently placed in the Nassarawa orphanage, where they are said to have experienced mistreatment, ostracism and neglect. All the children have experienced consistent pressure to convert, with the youngest being the most vulnerable. Those found to have already reached the age of majority were eventually released, leaving 16 children in the government-run facility.
Eight of the older remaining children were released in August 2025, after one began experiencing mental health challenges. However, the eight youngest were obliged to remain at the orphanage pending a review by the Attorney General of Kano State.
A consent judgment in 2025 ordered them to be returned to the Tarfa family’s care, along with the body of 13-year-old David Solomon Tarfa, who died in January after the orphanage’s authorities failed to provide him with urgently needed medical attention.
However at a handover meeting on 15 April, despite official documents being signed, the children were returned to the authorities’ care.
According to information received by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the children were extremely emotional during the meeting, having been misinformed earlier that if they returned to the Du Merci Centre they would be killed, either for having converted to Islam, or in the event they reverted to Christianity.
CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said: “CSW is incensed at the latest injustice the Kano State authorities have subjected the Tarfa family to. This week’s meeting should have finally brought an end to the six-year separation of seven children from the only parents most have ever known, but has instead traumatised them further as the authorities appear to have used every machination to prevent their return by promoting false narratives. The Kano State authorities have disregarded the High Court ruling for far too long, and justice must not be delayed any further.”