Lami Dawa: CAN Takes 14-Year Jail Sentence to Appeal Court, Borno Govt Reacts

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has confirmed that an appeal has been filed against the 14-year prison sentence imposed on Lami Samuel Dawa in Borno State, as fresh details of the court proceedings emerge and the state government says it is unaware of the circumstances surrounding the case.

The conviction has generated considerable controversy, particularly following reports that Dawa was sentenced to 14 years in prison for allegedly influencing a Muslim woman to convert to Christianity.

However, statements from her legal representatives and details reportedly contained in the court judgment suggest that the case involved more complicated allegations relating to the custody, movement and religious upbringing of a minor.

The development has prompted Christian organisations to call for caution, with CAN insisting that the legal process must respect the constitutional rights of everyone involved.

CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, said the association was concerned about the circumstances surrounding Dawa’s conviction and the reports linking the case to religious conversion.

He stressed that every Nigerian has the constitutional right to choose, practise or change their religion without coercion, intimidation or unlawful punishment.

Okoh said the association was monitoring developments and would pursue appropriate legal and institutional channels to ensure that the matter received proper attention.

The association also confirmed that an appeal had been initiated against the judgment, expressing the expectation that the appellate process would provide an opportunity for the issues surrounding the conviction to be properly examined.

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Dawa was sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment by the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri on May 5, 2026. The judgment was delivered by Justice A.B. Kumdila in a case involving five defendants.

Although initial reports largely presented the matter as a religious conversion dispute, the account provided by the Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON), which represented Dawa and the other defendants, offered additional details about the prosecution’s allegations.

The chairman of CLASFON‘s Maiduguri branch, Ephraim Yidawi, cautioned against portraying the case as one in which a Christian woman was simply convicted for preaching Christianity to a Muslim who voluntarily changed her religion.

According to him, the charges included conspiracy to abduct a child, enticing a minor to leave parental custody, removing a child from her parents’ lawful custody, depriving the child of access to education and interfering with her religious practice.

Yidawi disclosed that the other four defendants were discharged and acquitted, while Dawa was convicted. He also confirmed that steps had been taken to challenge the judgment through an appeal.

Further details published by Muslim News Nigeria on November 1, 2026, indicated that the person at the centre of the case was a 16-year-old girl identified as Aisha Kabir Saleh.

The publication said it obtained a certified copy of the judgment, which reportedly showed that the case was heard under suit number BOHC/MG/CR/154/2025.

According to the account of the proceedings, the prosecution alleged that the defendants were involved in arrangements that resulted in the girl leaving her family home in Maiduguri and travelling to Christian institutions in Jos.

The girl reportedly told the court that she had converted to Christianity at the age of 13, while she was still a minor.

She further alleged that after returning to Maiduguri, Dawa encouraged her to leave her parents’ home again, provided her with a telephone and SIM card, and arranged for her journey to Jos.

The prosecution also alleged that she was instructed to change out of her school uniform before leaving and was given money for the trip.

These allegations formed part of the prosecution’s case and should be distinguished from the court’s specific findings against each defendant.

The charges reportedly covered conspiracy to abduct a child, enticing a minor away from parental custody, abduction and removal from lawful custody, deprivation of education, interference with the minor’s religious practice and conversion, as well as screening an offender and evidence.

Dawa’s conviction was reportedly linked to the offence of depriving a parent of the lawful custody of a child under Section 210 of the Borno State Penal Code.

The distinction is significant because the available accounts do not support reducing the entire case to a conviction for preaching Christianity or facilitating religious conversion.

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has also appealed for restraint in public discussions surrounding Dawa’s conviction.

The organisation’s National Secretary, Bishop David Bakare, said the fellowship had been informed about the development and was monitoring the situation.

Bakare cautioned that some accounts circulating on social media did not adequately reflect the circumstances of the case.

He urged Christians and other Nigerians to establish the facts and understand the court proceedings before reaching conclusions or making public statements capable of inflaming religious tensions.

He also welcomed the appeal process, expressing the fellowship’s intention to continue monitoring developments.

The PFN’s position underscores the need for religious organisations and the wider public to distinguish between the constitutional right to freedom of religion and separate allegations involving the custody and welfare of a minor.

Meanwhile, the Borno State Government has said it has no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Dawa’s conviction.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, reportedly made the clarification when contacted by journalists.

Tar described the matter as a technical and legal issue, indicating that he was not familiar with the case.

The government’s response comes amid growing public attention and calls for clarification over the circumstances that led to the 14-year prison sentence.

The controversy has renewed discussions about the relationship between religious freedom, parental custody and the protection of children under Nigerian law.

Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The provision includes the right of individuals to change their religion or belief and to practise their faith.

Section 42 also prohibits discrimination against citizens on grounds including religion.

These constitutional protections have featured prominently in reactions to Dawa’s conviction, particularly among Christian organisations concerned about the implications of the case for religious freedom.

However, allegations involving the movement of a minor, parental custody, access to education and the circumstances surrounding a child’s religious upbringing raise separate legal questions.

The appellate court will have an opportunity to examine the conviction, the applicable provisions of the Borno State Penal Code and the arguments advanced by Dawa’s legal representatives.

For CAN and other Christian organisations, the immediate concern is that the appeal should receive proper legal consideration and that nobody should be punished unlawfully for exercising constitutionally guaranteed religious rights.

The case is therefore expected to remain in the public spotlight as Nigerians await further developments in the appeal and possible clarification of the legal issues surrounding the conviction.