In a ruling that is expected to affect operations of enforcement in northern Nigeria, a Federal High Court has ruled that Islamic religious police have no right to arrest a young woman for converting to Christianity.
According to the Christian rights advocacy group, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) , the issues started in 2025, when Sarah*, now 22, ran away from her family home in Kano State. Having lost her parents years before, she was in the care of her older siblings who allegedly abused her and attempted to force her into marriage against her wishes. She fled to the home of a Christian family, the Abaras, and subsequently converted to Christianity herself.
She was later detained by the local Hisbah (religious) police for four days. During those days she was beaten and pressured to agree to the marriage she had run from. In January 2026, the Abara family subsequently aided Sarah in relocating to Jos, for fear of further threats. Her siblings then accused the family of kidnapping Sarah, and the family was arraigned without legal counsel in February 2026. Religious police units known as Hisbah operate to enforce Sharia law, and according to ADF, have been used to target Christian converts and the families who support them.
Meanwhile, on 24 February 2026, Sarah filed a rights enforcement petition in a neighboring state. Victory came three months later, when the court prohibited Kano State and the Hisbah from making arrest over her conversion or her decision to marry. In its ruling, the court specified that the lawmen’s behaviour was a “flagrant violation” of the young woman’s fundamental right to human dignity and freedom of religion. It also ordered financial compensation for these violations.
Reacting to the ruling, Sarah expressed gratitude that the court recognized her freedom to religion, and that she is now protected from the “religious police.”
“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,” said Sarah.
The Abara family are currently out on bail, as a criminal case against them remains open, in Kano. ADF is providing legal support, insisting that the family did not kidnap Sarah but helped her escape a dangerous situation. The organization also contends that the Hisbah has no authority over Christians in any case.
“ Sarah’s choice to convert and reject a forced marriage is her right under law, and it is outrageous that the Christian family, the Abaras, that has protected her and helped her reach safety is now facing false criminal charges by these same forces,” said ADF Senior Counsel for Global Religious Freedom, Sean Nelson.
.