CHRISTIAN PARENTS SEEK JUSTICE OVER FORCED CONVERSION OF 17-YR-OLD DAUGHTER

• JINKAI’S CASE BEARS CLEAR MARKINGS OF CHILD TRAFFICKING, EXPLOITATION, AND ABUSE, SAYS PYC

Our Correspondent

The parents of Jinkai Simon, a 17-year-old girl, a native of Pankshin LGA of Plateau, have accused the Kano State Hisbah board of alleged conversion of their missing daughter to Islam.

In a petition dated May 6, 2026, and addressed to the Kaduna State Police Commissioner, the family alleged that their daughter, who went missing in Kaduna, was later found to have been converted and married off after being taken to Kano.

The sequence began on March 9, when Jinkai, a student of St. Bartholomew’s Secondary School, Wusasa, Zaria, in Kaduna State, left home for school and was reported missing that day.

Jinkai, who, before her disappearance, was said to have been living with her elder sister, Jennifer Simon, in the Kuregu area of Zaria.

In the petition signed by her family’s counsel, Jinkai was last seen with a neighbour identified as Ruqaiya.

Jinkai’s parents, in their petition to the police, alleged that Ruqaiya later informed them that the teenage girl had converted to Islam and was taken to Kano, where she was handed over to the Shariah police in Kano.

The petition also accused the Hisbah board of changing the girl’s name from Jinkai Simon to Aisha Sani before purportedly marrying her off to a man identified as Abdulsamad.

The petition read in part said, “The Hisbah Board, upon receiving the girl, changed her name from Jinkai Simon to Aisha Sani and married her off to one Abdulsamad, and as such is now going by the name Aisha Abdulsamad.”

The family further alleged that documents were falsified to change Jinkai’s age from 7 to 19.

According to some documents attached to the petition, revealed that the teenager was allegedly taken before a Kano State high court, where she deposed to an affidavit declaring that she is 19 years old.

The parents accused the board of falsifying consent documents purportedly signed by them to facilitate the process.

“In order to perpetrate these illegal acts, the Hisbah Board went as far as forging consent documents purported to have been signed by parents, including causing her to swear to an affidavit that she is 19 years old,” the family said.

The family called on the Kaduna State police commissioner to investigate the matter and ensure the safe return of their daughter.

The petition was copied to the Inspector General of Police, the Kaduna State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Anglican bishop of the Wusasa Diocese, and other Christian advocacy groups, including the Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria (CSW-N), among others.

Meanwhile, the umbrella body of youths in Plateau State has called on the Department of State Services (DSS)and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to immediately launch an investigation into the matter.

The group under the aegis of Plateau Youth Council (PYC)also called for a “swift action to secure the rescue, protection, rehabilitation, and safe reunification” of Miss Jinkai Yusuf Simon with her family.

In a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Bahal Nanpyal Mark for PYC Chairman, Panan Gongden Dapar, the group said, “The prompt identification, arrest, and prosecution of all individuals involved in this criminal act, to ensure justice is served and to deter future occurrences.

According to the PYC, the case of Jinkai “bears the clear markings of child trafficking, exploitation, and abuse,” adding that as a minor, Miss Jinkai cannot legally give informed consent, and any attempt to manipulate her identity, age, or religious affiliation constitutes a grave injustice that must not be tolerated.

“We also call on the good people of Plateau State and Nigerians at large to remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding our children and communities against such acts.

“The Plateau State Youth Council reaffirms its commitment to protecting the rights, dignity, and future of every young person, and we will continue to pursue justice until Miss Jinkai is safely returned,” the statement stated.

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