A VIRAL post by a news media account @visegrad24 claims that a Christian woman, Liyatu (Lami) Samuel Dawa, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Borno State simply for advising or convincing a Muslim woman who voluntarily converted to Christianity.
The post, shared on 4 November 2026, suggests that despite the “converted woman” testifying that she embraced Christianity voluntarily, Borno State High Court Judge A. B. Kumalia imposed a 14-year sentence without the option of a fine.
The claim, which started surfacing online with different narratives on 31 October, has once again sparked conversation.
As of 8 November, the post has generated over 156,000 views, 3,000 likes, and more than 1,600 comments with users believing the claim to be true.
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CLAIM
Post claims a Christian woman was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Borno State for convincing a Muslim woman to convert to Christianity.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
A review of certified true copies of the judgment from the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri, presided over by Justice A. B. Kumalia on 5 May 2026, reveals that the post falsifies the nature of the trial.
The charges filed against Lami Samuel Dawa and her co-defendants did not center on an adult woman voluntarily converting, but on criminal allegations involving a 16-year-old minor, Aisha Kabir Saleh.
According to a report by Muslim News Nigeria, which obtained a certified copy of the judgment, the defendants faced six charges: conspiracy to abduct a child, enticing a minor away from parental custody, removing a child from lawful custody, depriving her of education, and interfering with her religious practice and conversion.
Court records indicate that the victim, Aisha Kabir Saleh, testified that she was a 16-year-old secondary school student who was initially enticed as a 13-year-old minor. The court established that Dawa assisted in facilitating the minor’s secret transport to Jos without parental consent, provided her with alternative clothing, SIM cards, money, and facilitated her enrollment in a disestablishment program away from her family.
The legal proceedings focused on the unlawful removal, concealment, and abduction of a minor from her parents’ lawful custody under Borno State child protection laws.
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Furthermore, Nigerian news outlets, including Legit.ng and Daily Trust, have reported on the court records, clarifying that the 14-year sentence stems from child abduction and custodial deprivation charges rather than a peaceful adult religious conversion.
VERDICT
The claim that Lami Samuel Dawa was imprisoned for 14 years simply for advising or converting an adult Muslim woman is MISLEADING. Certified court documents confirm that the case involved criminal charges of abducting and enticing a 16-year-old minor away from her parents’ lawful custody under the Borno State Child Protection Law and Penal Code.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
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