THE image of a young woman has circulated on X (formerly Twitter) with a claim that she is Zainab Muhamadu, a 22-year-old from Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State who allegedly converted from Islam to Christianity recently.
Our fact-checker observed that the image trended online following several news reports that Ms. Zainab Muhamadu is facing trial in a Sharia court in Nigeria’s Zamfara State for becoming a Christian convert.
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Multiple news outlets published the report as seen here, here, here, here, here and here while it also trended on social media platforms as found here, here, here, here and here.
The reports claimed that she was allegedly arrested by Hisbah officials after converting to Christianity and has been detained for two weeks and she was scheduled to face trial at an Upper Sharia Court in Zamfara State, with the possibility of a death sentence under Islamic law.
CLAIM
Image shows Zainab Muhamadu who faces trial in Zamfara State for converting from Islam to Christianity.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING and FALSE, as the image is that of Aalia Reeves, an American-based model and content creator.
When the image was subjected to a Google Lens search, it led our fact-checker to a TikTok video posted by Ms. Reeves on March 26, 2024.
In the video, she narrated how she had been making prayers (dua) for her mother since she became a revert and how her prayers has been slowly coming to fruition.
Aalia Reeves is a model, author and YouTuber from Houston, Texas in the United States of America (USA) and currently resides in Los Angeles. Formerly Trenkell Reeves before her conversion to Islam in the United States, she models for Bicoastal MGMT – an American-based modelling and talent management agency.
According to Cambridge English Dictionary, apostasy is the act of giving up your religious or political beliefs and leaving a religion or a political party.
Apostasy (riddah) remains a serious offence in Islam. It is universally acknowledged by Muslim jurists as a Hadd offence alongside adultery, defamation, alcoholism, theft, brigandage and rebellion, and corruption of Islam (Bassiouni, 1982) – the most serious offences within the Sharia, for which fixed, mandatory punishments have been prescribed.
The media reports about Zainab’s trial shocked many online users, especially Nigerian netizens as they discuss the pros and cons of religions in modern day society, while some condemned the media outlets who carried the false report.
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Further checks by The FactCheckHub show that Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution explicitly protects freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including the right to change one’s religion or belief. This is enshrined in Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which applies to all citizens regardless of state laws.
While Zamfara is among the twelve northern states in Nigeria that have adopted Sharia law in their judicial systems for Muslims, these religious courts operate within the bounds of the Nigerian Constitution. They cannot supersede federal laws or constitutional rights guaranteed to Nigerian citizens.
There is no provision in Nigerian federal law that prescribes death penalty for religious conversion. Furthermore, Nigerian courts do not recognise apostasy – the act of abandoning one’s religion – as a criminal offense. Legal precedents affirm that Sharia court decisions must align with the Nigerian Constitution, and any sentence in conflict with federal laws is subject to appeal and nullification.
Although The FactCheckHub could not independently verify the existence of any individual named Zainab Muhammadu facing trial in Zamfara State, the state government has officially denied the claim.
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In a statement released on May 20, 2025, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the spokesperson to Governor Dauda Lawal, described the report as “mischievous fake news.” While condemning the publication as an example of yellow journalism, he called on security agencies to investigate the source of the report and take legal action against those responsible for disseminating it.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the image shows Zainab Muhamadu who faces trial in Zamfara State for converting from Islam to Christianity is MISLEADING and FALSE. The lady in the image is an American-based model and content creator while the Zamfara State Government also debunked the report, describing it as a “mischievous fake news.”
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org.
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