In a victory for religious freedom in Nigeria, Rhoda Jatau has been fully acquitted of blasphemy charges after being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom in a two-and-a-half-year legal battle. Her case garnered international attention and highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by religious minorities in Nigeria.
Jatau, a Christian mother of five from Nigeria, was arrested in May 2022 on blasphemy charges for allegedly sharing a video that condemned the lynching of Deborah Yakubu, a Christian student killed by her classmates for thanking Jesus for help on a test in a Whatsapp chat group.
The charges against Jatau were based on prosecutors’ claim that sharing a video condemning the murder of a Christian constituted blasphemy itself.
Following Jatau’s arrest, a mob ransacked her neighborhood, and she was immediately imprisoned, separated from her family, and given limited access to legal counsel.
Jatau was finally granted bail in December 2023, through the efforts of Alliance Defending Freedom International.
“When I finally knew that I was granted bail, I don’t even know how to even start enjoying but I just burst out crying because of the overjoy. I looking at myself out of that prison that day I was so grateful that day. I just give God the glory that day. I was so happy I can’t even express it,” Jatau said in a YouTube video describing her feelings after receiving the news.
What is Alliance Defending Freedom?
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, marriage and family, and the sanctity of life.
Alliance Defending Freedom International is the international branch of Alliance Defending Freedom, which works across national borders and international institutions to protect religious liberty and fundamental rights through coordinated legal advocacy and network building.
On December 10th, 2024, Jatau was fully acquitted and found not guilty of all charges, ending her two-and-a-half-year legal ordeal.
Jatau thanked Alliance Defending Freedom International saying, “I’m so grateful, I appreciate you people, the ADF, for your support for being with us throughout this. Throughout the occurrence of these incidents you have been with us, praying for us, giving us all support. I’m so grateful; thank you so much; my regards to all others and my thanks.”
In a statement on Alliance Defending Freedom International, Sean Nelson, legal counsel for ADF International, said, “We are thankful to God for Rhoda’s full acquittal and an end to the ordeal she has endured for far too long. No person should be punished for peaceful expression, and we are grateful that Rhoda Jatau has been fully acquitted. But 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 the draconian blasphemy laws.
The case highlights the broader issue of religious persecution in Nigeria. As Jatau noted in her plea for support, “We need prayers in the Northern Nigeria because of how Christians have been persecuted in so many ways. You may be in a community, you will be hated in your place of work because of that name, Jesus. You have been denied so many rights. So we need prayers for us to be able to stand to be able to carry that cross of that hatred that people hate us because of the name of Jesus.”
