The Christian Rights Agenda (CRA) has expressed concern over reports of Miss Zainab Mohammed, a Christian woman scheduled to appear before a Sharia Court on Friday for converting from Islam to Christianity.
A Statement signed by the Secretary General of the organisation, Revered Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa reads, “The Christian Rights Agenda (CRA) wishes to alert the Nigerian State, all security apparatus and the entire world of a sinister plot by the Government of Zamfara State to murder Zainab Mohammed in a contrived and pre-dermined legal case through the instrumentalities of Sharia law.
“Multiple sources within religious circles in and outside Zamfara state have confirmed to CRA that plans have been concluded to arraign Miss Mohammed before a Sharia Court in Gusau on Friday. The young Lady will have no chance of justice if she is arraigned before an Islamic Court for the offence of conversion to Christianity. The inevitable punishment is death by stoning.
“Zainab Mohammed is a 22-year-old young lady who voluntarily converted to Christianity and exercise of her rights as an adult as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which guarantees freedom of religion. Available information indicates that Zainab’s sin is her conversion to Christianity. Why will an adult Nigerian be denied the right to a religion choice? The questions begging for answers are: whether Nigeria has become an Islamic state or whether Sharia Law supersedes the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, or what happens to uncountable number of young Christian girls forcefully converted to Islam by Muslim terrorists/Jihadists who have effectively operated in the north in the last 15 years. The case of Leah Sharibu is still fresh in our painful memories.
“It is a shame that a system where murderous insurgents and terrorists have been given state pardon in the name of rehabilitation and the same state will turn around to arraign an innocent young lady for willingly converting to Christianity. The CRA wishes to warn the Muslim community in Nigeria not to push this nation into a religious crisis especially at a time that all Nigerians seem to be on the edge over sundry challenges.
“At the moment, Zainab is still kept with police authorities in Zamfara state. And if she is not in protective custody, it will be curious that federal police will detain a Nigerian who exercised her religious rights only to hand her over to separatist group to be tried by Sharia law in a secular state.Nigeria is neither Saudi Arabia nor an Islamic state.
Our Demands
“CRA hereby call on the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to act expeditiously and stop the arraignment and phantom trial of Zainab Mohammed which will lead to an expected; Death by stoning.
“That the government of Zamfara State must come clean on the status of Zainab Mohammed within 24 hours.
“All levels of the leadership of Christian bodies like Christian Association of Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and Christians in Nigeria must be watchful and be sensitive to their environment and report any suspicious development to law enforcement agents.
“We call on Christians in Nigeria to be Law abiding but conscious of the fact that Nigeria is a secular state.
“In most states of the north west and north east, government officials including emirs engage in massive forceful conversion of Christians especially women, young and underaged girls but here they are now trying to murder Miss Mohammed who willingly converted to Christianity.
“CRA call on the international community to come to aide of Nigerian Christians especially in the north who are being subjected to persecution and are treated as slaves in their own country.
“CRA recall the forceful marriage of abducted Christian girls in their hundreds by the Borno state government last year to their abductors who hide under the guise of repentant Boko Haram terrorists.”
