A Christian mother of five is celebrating after being fully acquitted of all blasphemy charges in Nigeria.
In May 2022, Rhoda Jatau was arrested and imprisoned on accusations of sharing a video via WhatsApp which condemned the brutal lynching of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a Nigerian university student who was murdered by her classmates for expressing her Christian faith.
Yakubu’s death sparked worldwide outrage and highlighted the dangers faced by religious minorities in Nigeria. In October 2023, United Nations experts issued a joint allegation letter to the Nigerian government, condemning blasphemy laws as a violation of international human rights and calling for Jatau’s release.
As a result of sharing the video, Jatau spent 19 months in prison before being granted bail in December 2023. During her detention, she was repeatedly denied bail, held incommunicado, and given only sporadic access to her family and legal counsel.
The charges against Jatau were based on sections 114 (public disturbance) and 210 (religious insult) of the Bauchi State Penal Code. If convicted, she faced a potential prison sentence of five years.
Sean Nelson, legal counsel for ADF International, was grateful for the judge’s decision: “We are thankful to God for Rhoda’s full acquittal and an end to the ordeal she has endured for far too long. No person should be punished for peaceful expression, and we are grateful that Rhoda Jatau has been fully acquitted. But Rhoda should never have been arrested in the first place.
“We will continue to seek justice for Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria who are unjustly imprisoned and plagued by the draconian blasphemy laws.”
ADF International’s allied Nigerian lawyer, who led Jatau’s defence, added: “After a two-and-a-half-year ordeal, including 19 long months in prison, we are happy that Rhoda finally has been acquitted of any wrongdoing. We thank all who have been praying for Rhoda, and we ask for your continued prayers as Nigerians continue to push back against persecution.”
Yakubu’s case exemplifies the widespread violence and discrimination against Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria, particularly in the country’s northern regions. In 2022 alone, over 5,500 Christians were killed for their faith worldwide, with 90 per cent of those killings occurring in Nigeria.
The country currently ranks sixth in Open Doors’ list of countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.