Northern Nigeria Court Curbs Hisbah Power Over Christian Convert

By Luka Binniyat 

(Kaduna – NIGERIA ) – A Federal High Court in northern Nigeria has ruled that Islamic religious police, known as Hisbah, have no authority to arrest a woman because she converted from Islam to Christianity, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has reported.

The  judgment could place an important legal limit on the activities of enforcement agencies in northern Nigeria, ADF said.

The case involved “Sarah,” a 22-year-old woman from Kano State who fled her family home in 2025 after allegedly suffering abuse from her elder siblings, who were also trying to force her into marriage. 

Her parents had died years earlier, the report said.

ADF said Sarah’s siblings subsequently worked with local Hisbah officials to have her arrested. She was detained for four days, during which time she allegedly was beaten and pressured to accept the marriage she had fled.

Sarah took refuge with a Christian family, the Abaras. While living with them, she voluntarily converted to Christianity, according to ADF.

After her release, Sarah feared further threats.  The Abaras helped her relocate to Jos in January 2026. Her siblings then accused the Christian family of kidnapping her.

The Christian Family Arraigned In Court 

On February 26, the Abaras were arraigned in Kano without legal counsel. Sarah had filed a fundamental-rights enforcement action two days earlier.

On May 26, 2026, the court ruled in Sarah’s favour, restraining Kano State and Hisbah from pursuing her arrest because of her conversion to Christianity or her refusal to marry.

ADF said the court described the actions against Sarah as a “flagrant violation” of her fundamental rights to human dignity and freedom of religion and ordered financial compensation.

“No one should be coerced to leave their faith, and certainly no Christian should ever be threatened by Islamic morality police,” said Sean Nelson, Senior Counsel for Global Religious Freedom at ADF.

 The court’s ruling in Sarah’s case affirms that the Hisbah police have no jurisdiction over Christians or other non-Muslims. Sarah’s choice to convert and reject a forced marriage is her right under law,” Nelson said.

The Abaras’ criminal case remains pending in Kano, with ADF providing legal support. 

Sarah Hails Court’s Ruling 

Sarah herself said the Christian family had protected her when she had nowhere else to turn.

“The Abara family kept me safe in a time when I had nowhere else to go. I am grateful to them especially for introducing me to the Gospel. It is not against the law for me to choose my faith in Jesus,” she said.

She added: “I am thankful the court has recognized my freedom to become a Christian and that I am now protected from the religious police.”

Earlier cases show a wider problem.

Sarah’s case is not the first controversy involving Muslims who converted to Christianity in northern Nigeria and subsequently faced intervention by state authorities or Islamic religious institutions.

In January 2018, the case of Nabila Umar Sanda, a 19-year-old university student who converted from Islam to Christianity, attracted national attention.

Nabila, a student of Bingham University, Abuja, became interested in Christianity and eventually decided to become a Christian. 

According to reports at the time, the Department of State Services (Nigeria’s  Secret Police) arrested her and Christian associates after Islamic leaders were informed of her conversion.

The Guardian newspaper of Nigeria reported that Nabila’s conversion had become a major controversy in Jos, Plateau State, and that Christian leader Jeremiah Datim and Simput Dafup were also involved in the case.

Christian Today reported that Datim said DSS operatives stormed his home after he informed Islamic leaders about Nabila’s decision.

Datim alleged that the security operatives assaulted members of his family before taking Nabila away, according to media reports.

Hisbah Enforcement Agents and Christians

Hisbah, established in several northern states of Nigeria to enforce Islamic moral codes,  also has been accused of interfering with Christians who are not subject to Islamic religious obligations.

In November 2023, International Christian Concern reported that Hisbah officials in Kano stopped five Christian girls who were on their way to church.

The girls were reportedly ordered to dress like Muslims and were prevented from attending church until the service had ended.

These cases have generated concern among Christian organisations because Kano and several other northern states operate Sharia-based legal- and moral-enforcement systems alongside Nigeria’s federal constitutional system.

Murder of Pastor Accused of Conversion

Perhaps the most tragic example involved Rev. Yohanna Shuaibu, a Christian leader in Kano State.

In September 2021, Shuaibu was attacked by a mob after allegations circulated that he had been involved in the conversion of a Muslim man to Christianity.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom said the mob attacked and killed the Christian pastor in Kano in retaliation for his alleged involvement in converting a member of a Muslim family to Christianity.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reported that Shuaibu died from wounds inflicted during the attack on his home in Massu village, Sumaila Local Government Area.

According to CSW, the Muslim man at the centre of the controversy had actually left Islam but was not attending either a church or mosque. Nevertheless, members of the local Muslim community reportedly believed he had converted to Christianity and blamed Shuaibu.

The pastor returned to the area to evacuate children from a Christian school before the mob attacked him.

Luka Binniyat writes for TruthNigeria on Religion, Politics and Conflict from Kaduna.

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