Abubakar

When Firdauz was denied the call to bar in 2017 because she refused to open her head or remove her Hijab, all the bunch of jokers who stood up against her were disgraced in the end. She remained resolute until the draconian rule was upturned. Today, she is now a lawyer doing well for herself and family. Since then, Muslim sisters have been allowed to not only cover their heads during call to bar, across the country, Muslim sisters now enjoy that liberty as well anytime they appear before courts.

One interesting thing about this fooling is that it’s only realized when the Muslims are being discriminated against. Just to show solidarity for the oppressors of the Muslims. They do not feel the need to demand for their rights on a normal day because it never existed. And guess what? They can’t sustain it like the Muslims.

What actually happened in the Borno High Court judgment involving Lami Samuel Dawa is very different from the narrative Arise TV and some of its anti-Sharia propagandists have been pushing. I shared the certified true copy of the judgment so people can read it themselves. The victim was a 16-year-old minor. The court found, on the evidence (including the first defendant’s own admissions), that she enticed the girl away from her parents’ custody, removed her, took her to Jos, and facilitated her discontinuation from school and placement in a Bible school; all without the parents’ knowledge or consent. In fact, it is in evidence that the convict gave a phone and sim to the minor and when she realized that her parents were already looking for her, she asked her to stop at Bauchi instead of Jos. Why not ask her to come back to Borno? Who gave her money to travel? Her parents? The convict? If this is not abduction, I wonder what this one is. The above is what the conviction rests on. The other defendants were discharged for lack of credible evidence. Sentences of 14, 14 and 10 years were ordered to run concurrently. As I explained earlier, this case has no root in Shariah. It was tried in the High Court of Borno State under the Penal Code Laws of Borno State 2023 and the Borno State Child Protection Law 2021, ordinary state laws on child abduction, removal from lawful custody, and related offences. No Shariah Court had jurisdiction over it. No non-Muslim was tried under Shariah. The charges and the reasoning come from the same child-protection framework that exists under the Child Rights Act and similar laws across Nigeria, not from Islamic law. Yet some people rushed to attack Islam and Shariah as if this were a Shariah matter. Sharing the actual judgment has already put the sensational version to shame. Anyone can now see the charges, the evidence, the findings, and the reasoning. It is no longer possible to reduce this to “a Christian woman was jailed for simply sharing her faith with an adult who converted willingly,” or to claim it was a Shariah trial. It is also important to state that the convict has right of appeal even upto the Supreme Court. So the matter is not completely closed. This is why verification matters before anything is shared publicly. Imagine if the certified judgment had not been in circulation. The false narrative would have continued unchallenged, further inflaming an already sensitive environment. The danger of such false narratives to our peace and to the integrity of the legal system is enormous. People should not jump on trends without the facts. Media houses have a responsibility to report accurately, especially on matters that touch religion, child protection, and court decisions. When they fail, the cost is paid by ordinary Nigerians who want peace and a functioning justice system. Enough of the propaganda. Enough of the anti-Shariah narratives.

This is an unfortunate and unprofessional statement from a lawyer. You have a responsibility to inform and educate the public. Imagine if a lawyer can say this, what should non-lawyers now say? Y’all should do better and quit this shameful thing.