Church leaders were jailed without trial for three years.
ABUJA, Nigeria The ordeal of a pastoral couple jailed without trial for three years for taking in a runaway Muslim girl shows the injustices that Christians suffer in northern Nigeria, church leaders said.
The Rev. Jonah Gangas and his wife Josephine, pastors of an Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) congregation in Kaduna State, were acquitted of all charges in March after authorities arrested them in 2020 on false kidnapping charges, jailed them without trial and refused to grant them bail, rights advocates said.
“The world needs to know that Christians in Nigeria are not free to worship as it is assumed,” the Rev. Jerry Faruk of ECWA Plateau Church told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. “Our hope is in God, but we need someone to help deal with cases like this.”
In 2013,, the Christian couple took in a runaway, 12-year-old Muslim girl at the request of the police, allowed her to live with them for seven years, and funded her education. After she returned home, an Islamic organization incited her family to report the couple to authorities with accusations of kidnapping and “proselytizing,” according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which supported the pastors’ defense.
According to ADF International legal counsel Sean Nelson, after many delayed hearings, the High Court of Justice of Kaduna State released its decision, fully acquitting the couple of wrongdoing for lack of evidence.
“The decision from the court states that ‘the prosecution has not disclosed a prima facie case,’” Nelson said in a press statement. “For simply helping this young girl and taking her in during a moment of need, they were punished, prosecuted, and imprisoned. We are pleased that the court has sided with Rev. and Mrs. Gangas, and we hope that this decision will positively impact other Christians and religious minorities in the country who are being unjustly punished for their faith, as well.”
Sunny Akanni, an allied attorney of ADF International and lead attorney on the case, said she was relieved at the outcome.
“Christians in Nigeria are unfairly discriminated against for their faith, and we need all who can continue to raise their voices in support of religious freedom for all Nigerians,” Akanni said in a press statement. “It is my prayer that soon all Nigerians will be able to worship and share their faith freely and without fear of retribution.”
Pastor Faruk said Nigeria needs more Christian attorneys who are willing to help fight such injustices.
“May Christian lawyers be willing to help Christians who are wrongfully accused, persecuted, or imprisoned,” he said. I also hope Christian legislators will rise to their responsibilities to make laws that protect citizens and guarantee justice to all.”
According to the Rev. Gideon Para-Malam, head of the Para-Malam Peace Foundation, education for girls is a valuable social good in some communities in Nigeria. As a result, such injustices shouldn’t be prevented.
“This young girl desired education, and it was the main motivation for her action,” Para-Malam said. “A good Samaritan, as it were, mentioned this need to the Gangas, and they became a medium of uncommon generosity. We should celebrate their compassion for humanity instead of vilifying the Gangas by bringing them to justice.
Para-Malam said that, in this case, religion was manipulated to create a controversy or scandal where there should have been none.
“She needs help to continue with her educational thirst and drive; she needs to be supported to complete her education at the university level,” he said. “Her biological parents should support her in this quest and not be persecuting her and the Gangas. This girl isn’t a wayward child but an educationally hungry woman.”
He said the legal effort defended the girl and Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB).
“Northern Nigeria is notorious for defying FoRB—that is where the challenge lies in this matter,” Para-Malam said. The court must not only discharge the case but also pronounce on this young girl’s freedom to believe. She’s now 19, and her dignity in choosing the religion of her choice at this age needs to be respected. This girl went back home on her own. Her parents should reason with her and respect her wishes.”
In the 2024 World Watch List of the countries where it is most challenging to be a Christian, Nigeria was ranked No. 6, as it was in the previous year.