Court bars Hisbah from arresting Kano woman over conversion to Christianity

A Federal High Court in Nigeria has restrained Kano State authorities and the state’s Hisbah religious enforcement body from arresting or pursuing a 22-year-old woman over her conversion from Islam to Christianity and her refusal to enter an alleged forced marriage.

The woman, identified by the pseudonym “Sarah” for security reasons, had sought protection from the court after allegedly facing abuse and pressure from members of her family.

According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which supported her case, Sarah fled her family home in Kano State in 2025 after her elder siblings allegedly abused her and attempted to force her into marriage. Her parents were reportedly deceased.

ADF said Sarah’s siblings subsequently involved local Hisbah officials, who arrested and detained her for four days. She alleged that she was beaten and pressured during the detention to accept the marriage she had rejected.

After her release, Sarah took refuge with a Christian family, identified as the Abaras, and subsequently converted to Christianity. Fearing further threats, the family helped her relocate to Jos, Plateau State, in January 2026.

Her siblings later accused members of the Abara family of kidnapping her. The family was arraigned in Kano on February 26, 2026, while Sarah filed a fundamental-rights enforcement action two days earlier seeking protection against further interference.

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In a judgment delivered on May 26, the Federal High Court ruled in Sarah’s favour, restraining Kano State authorities and Hisbah officials from pursuing her arrest because of her conversion to Christianity or refusal to enter the proposed marriage.

The court described the actions against her as a “flagrant violation” of her fundamental rights to human dignity and freedom of religion and ordered financial compensation for the violations.

ADF International said the judgment reinforces the legal limits of Hisbah’s authority, particularly in relation to Christians and other non-Muslims.

Sean Nelson, ADF’s Senior Counsel for Global Religious Freedom, said the ruling affirmed Sarah’s right to choose her religion and reject a marriage against her wishes.

Sarah welcomed the judgment, saying the Christian family had provided her with safety when she had nowhere else to turn. She maintained that choosing Christianity was not unlawful and expressed gratitude that the court recognised her freedom of religion.

However, the legal battle involving the Abara family is not over. A criminal case against them remains pending in Kano, with ADF supporting their defence. The organisation maintains that the family did not kidnap Sarah but assisted her in escaping an allegedly dangerous situation. The family members are currently on bail.

The ruling has renewed debate over the limits of religious enforcement bodies operating in states where aspects of Sharia law are applied, particularly where their activities intersect with constitutionally protected rights to freedom of religion, personal liberty and human dignity.

The judgment, however, should not be read as a ruling that all Hisbah activities are unlawful. Rather, in Sarah’s case, the court specifically barred Kano authorities and Hisbah from pursuing her arrest over her decision to change her faith and reject the proposed marriage