Mother of Five Regains Freedom After 18 Months in Detention for Condemning Student’s Murder

After 18 months in prison, Rhoda Jatau, a Bauchi woman who condemned the lynching of Samuel Deborah in Sokoto State, has regained her freedom.

A reliable source who spoke on condition of anonymity told journalists that Jatau was released on bail on Friday following interventions by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN, the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, and Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria.

Rhoda Jatau, a mother of five, had been detained since May 2022 on the grounds of blasphemy for sharing a video condemning the lynching of a student.

Deborah Samuel, a 200-level student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was brutally murdered after advising against sending religious materials to a school WhatsApp group.

The source, however, did not reveal bail conditions or which court had granted Jatau bail but noted that the Inter-Religious Council had played “a key role” in securing her bail and release.