The federal government has been called on to intervene in the 18-month detention of a Nigerian woman, Mrs Rhoda Jatau, who allegedly protested the murder of Deborah Yakubu for alleged blasphemy in Sokoto State.
It would be recalled that Deborah was mobbed to death on May 12, 2022, and set ablaze after she advised her classmates against posting religious materials on a WhatsApp page.
Mrs Jatau, a Christian mother of five, was arrested and incarcerated on May 20, 2022, for forwarding a WhatsApp message that condemned the murder of Deborah Yakubu.
Mrs Jatau now faces charges of inciting public disturbance and insulting religious creed; charges which Womanifesto, a coalition of over 500 women’s rights organisations, activists, advocates and practitioners in Nigeria, describes as baseless.
The coalition, at a press conference in Lagos on Monday, said, “It is unconscionable that the mob that lynched Deborah Yakubu recorded the crime and circulated the video on various social media platforms” yet those involved “are allowed to roam the streets of Nigeria free, while a person who condemns their action is held behind bars with no end in sight.”
The Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, who addressed the press, said the continued incarceration of Mrs Jatau “shows the unequal application of the law in Northern Nigeria and further contributes to tensions and distrust between Muslims and Christians living in Nigeria.
“In the light of the above, we, the undersigned, urgently call on the Nigerian government to intervene in Rhoda Jatau’s case, drop all charges against her, recognise her right to freedom of expression and religion and immediately release her.
“Provide adequate resources to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the murder of Deborah and prosecute all the perpetrators for their heinous action.”
The director noted that the charges of blasphemy preferred against Mrs Jatau lacked constitutional basis, saying, “Blasphemy is not in the Criminal Code. So, we want to see on what grounds she will be judged.
“Rhoda’s trial has also been marred with several irregularities, including baseless adjournments and postponements – at least five scheduled court hearings have failed to occur since March, 2023.
“On the 27th of November, 2023, the High Court in Bauchi State rejected an application for a ‘no-case submission’ by Rhoda’s Lawyers.”
She disclosed that there would be a court sitting in Bauchi on December 8, 2023.
