Attorneys file court papers accusing authorities of defying judge's order in Bauchi teen's legal matter

A law firm based in Jos, Wholesome Attorneys, has submitted a petition to the Department of State Services regarding the alleged ongoing detention of 17-year-old Faith Barnabas, despite a Federal High Court judgment ordering her release to her mother, Mrs Kumabe Zakari.

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The petition, dated July 9, 2026, was addressed to the Bauchi State Director of the DSS and urged the agency to comply with the July 6 judgment of the Federal High Court, Jos Judicial Division, which directed the immediate release of the teenager to her widowed mother.

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The lawyers' petition followed allegations by Zakari that her daughter was forcibly converted to Islam by Sadiq Ahmed Hussaini with the involvement of the Bauchi State Shari’ah Commission, without her consent, contravening Section 8 of the Bauchi State Child Protection Law, 2023.

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According to the solicitors, Faith is being held at the Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency, despite existing court orders directing that she be reunited with her family, and the action is a clear contravention of the law.

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The petition stated that following the alleged forceful conversion in April 2026, Zakari initially regained custody of her daughter and relocated with her to Jos, but Hussaini tracked the teenager to Jos on April 30 and abducted her to an undisclosed location.

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The lawyers alleged that the Bauchi State Police Command located Hussaini and recovered the teenager but transferred Faith to the Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency instead of releasing her to her mother.

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Hussaini is facing trial before a Principal District Court in Bauchi over charges bordering on conspiracy and abduction, but he was allowed access to the teenager while her mother and other relatives were denied similar access.

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The Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency failed to comply with an interim order of the Principal District Court directing the release of Faith to her mother, prompting the lawyers to institute a fundamental rights enforcement suit before the Federal High Court in Jos.

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The law firm urged the DSS to intervene and ensure compliance with the Federal High Court judgment, including the immediate reunification of Faith with her mother, and also noted that Zakari had suffered severe emotional trauma due to the circumstances surrounding her daughter's continued disappearance.

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The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Billiri Local Government Area Chapter, Gombe State, condemned the continued disobedience to the Federal High Court judgment in a statement issued on August 2, 2026, and signed by its Chairman, Sarki Napthali.

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YOWICAN described the situation as an affront to the rule of law and the authority of the judiciary, and argued that the continued custody of the teenager violated constitutional provisions relating to personal liberty, family life, and freedom of religion.

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The organisation stated that the continued custody of the minor contravened provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Child Rights Act, and the Bauchi State Child Protection Law, which recognise parental authority over a child's welfare and religious upbringing.

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YOWICAN referenced international instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Nigeria is a signatory to.

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The youth body called on the Bauchi State Government and the Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency to comply with the Federal High Court judgment and urged the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspector-General of Police, and other relevant security agencies to ensure enforcement of the order.

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YOWICAN also demanded the nullification of documents allegedly used to alter the teenager's name and religion, and called for contempt proceedings against any public official or institution found to have deliberately disobeyed the court's directive.

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The development followed an earlier fundamental rights suit instituted by Zakari before the Federal High Court in Jos, in which she alleged that her daughter disappeared in April 2026 and was subsequently declared to have converted to Islam by the Bauchi State Shari’ah Commission.

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The mother is seeking the immediate release of her daughter from state custody, the nullification of documents relating to the alleged conversion, and damages over alleged violations of the teenager's fundamental rights, with respondents including the Bauchi State Government and the Bauchi State Shari’ah Commission.

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The case has attracted attention from religious freedom advocates and civil society groups, who say it raises broader questions concerning children's rights, parental authority, freedom of religion, and compliance with judicial orders.