"Nigerian court rules Islamic police can’t arrest Christian convert"

"A federal high court in northern Nigeria has ruled that Islamic religious police have no authority to arrest a young woman over her conversion from Islam to Christianity, in a judgment that curbs the reach of Sharia enforcement units operating in northern Nigeria.

The ruling came in the case of Sarah*, now 22, who fled her family home in Kano State in 2025 after suffering abuse from her elder siblings, who were also attempting to force her into marriage against her wishes. (Sarah’s parents had died years prior.) Sarah took refuge with a Christian family, the Abaras, and while living with them, converted to Christianity herself.

Sarah’s siblings worked with local Hisbah police to have her arrested. She was detained for four days, during which she was beaten and pressured to accept the marriage she had fled. Fearing further threats after her release, the Abara family helped Sarah relocate to Jos in January 2026. Her siblings then accused the Abaras of kidnapping Sarah, and the family was arraigned without legal counsel on February 26, 2026.

Sarah filed a rights enforcement petition in a neighboring state on February 24, 2026. On May 26, 2026, the court ruled in her favor, enjoining Kano State and the Hisbah from pursuing her arrest over her conversion or her refusal to marry. In its decision, the court stated the police’s actions were a 'flagrant violation' of Sarah’s fundamental right to human dignity and freedom of religion. The court also ordered financial compensation for these violations against her rights."