After a two-and-a-half-year legal battle that saw her imprisoned for 19 months in Nigeria, Rhoda Jatau, a Christian mother of five, has been fully acquitted of blasphemy charges.
A judge in Bauchi State court acquitted Ms. Jatau, according to Christian legal advocate ADF International which supported her case.
She faced a potential five-year prison sentence if convicted.
Ms. Jatau was initially detained in May 2022 on allegations of blasphemy after she shared a WhatsApp video condemning the lynching of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a Nigerian university student who was brutally murdered and set on fire by her classmates for professing her Christian faith, said ADF International.
Throughout her imprisonment, she endured repeated denials of bail and was held incommunicado, having limited access to legal counsel and family members during court appearances.
Her lawyers consistently argued that the prosecution had failed to establish the basic elements of the case against her, citing significant legal shortcomings in their approach.
In December 2023, she was granted bail and remained in an undisclosed location while her trial proceeded.
The final acquittal comes amid growing international pressure and advocacy from religious freedom organisations.
“We are thankful to God for Rhoda’s full acquittal and an end to the ordeal she has endured for far too long,” said Sean Nelson, legal counsel for ADF International.
“No person should be punished for peaceful expression, and we are grateful that Rhoda Jatau has been fully acquitted.”
Mr. Nelson stressed that: “Rhoda should never have been arrested in the first place.”
“We will continue to seek justice for Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria who are unjustly imprisoned and plagued by its draconian blasphemy laws,” he declared.
The Christian Post reports that in Nigeria, blasphemy laws are often used to target religious minorities.
Advocates say blasphemy laws contribute to societal tensions in Africa’s most populous nation of more than 200 million people, almost evenly split between Christians and Muslims.
In October 2023, United Nations experts sent a joint allegation letter to the Nigerian government, stating that blasphemy laws violate international human rights standards and pointing out the unjust nature of Rhoda Jatau’s detention.
ADF International said it is currently supporting the legal defence of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim musician who was sentenced to death by hanging for sharing song lyrics deemed “blasphemous” on WhatsApp.
Yahaya has been imprisoned for over four and a half years and is now appealing to the Supreme Court of Nigeria in hopes of overturning the death penalty imposed under the country’s blasphemy laws.
Sources: The Christian Post, ADF International
Photo: ADF International (Shows Rhoda Jatau with ADF International legal counsel Sean Nelson)
