Forced Conversion: How Da’awah Group Pressure Blocked a Police Order to Free Teen Christian in Bauchi
- CP’s directive ignored as teenage Girl Remains in State Custody
- Advocates say case exposes gaps in enforcement of Child Rights Act
Our Correspondent
On Friday, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police reviewed a file and issued a clear instruction: release 16-year-old Jennifer Daniel to her parents. By evening, Jennifer was not with her parents. She was in the custody of the Bauchi State Agency for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, BASOVCA.
The reason, according to family sources, members of an Islamic Da’awah group objected inside police headquarters, citing “safety concerns” and demanding a court process. Police complied.
The incident raises fresh questions about how Nigerian law enforcement handles custody disputes involving minors and allegations of religious conversion in the north, where Christian advocacy groups say a pattern has persisted for years.
Jennifer’s parents, Saratu Daniel and Joseph John, travelled 8 hours from Adamawa State after being summoned to the Bauchi State Police Command.
According to multiple family sources present, the Commissioner reviewed documents related to Jennifer’s case and directed an Assistant Commissioner to release her to her parents, who were waiting at headquarters.
The handover was, however, interrupted as representatives of the Da’awah group who were in the room objected on the spot and argued that the matter should go before a court. Police then moved Jennifer into BASOVCA custody instead of releasing her.
A review is now scheduled for Monday, August 24.
“We came because we were summoned. We believed we would finally take our daughter home,” Saratu said in a video after the meeting. “Now our other children are waiting.”
Neither the Bauchi Police Command nor BASOVCA had issued a formal statement as of Saturday explaining why the Commissioner’s order was not executed.
Public attention was drawn to the matter after Saratu was seen in a viral video pleading for help to recover her daughter.
The family alleges the chain began in June during a family visit when Jennifer, 16, was first introduced to Islam.
Distressed, Saratu placed her at the Bishara Dole Christian rehabilitation centre in Bauchi for counselling.
A man identified as Abubakar, who presented himself at the centre as a Christian convert, is accused of removing Jennifer without parental consent and handing her to the Da’awah group.
Saratu reported to Bauchi police. She says she was assured Jennifer would be returned. Instead, she alleges the teenager was handed back to the same group.
Rev. Mohammed of Bishara Dole Ministry confirmed the family’s account and is calling for an independent investigation.
He also rejected claims in a video by an Islamic preacher, Adam Ashaka, accusing the centre of child molestation, calling it “a smear campaign meant to justify keeping Jennifer with the Da’awah group.”
In a separate video, Joseph John, divorced from Saratu for nine years but jointly pursuing the case, denied claims that he is Muslim. “I have never practiced Islam,” he said.
Religious and human rights advocacy groups monitoring northern Nigeria say Jennifer’s case fits a recurring template documented over the last decade where an underage girl from a Christian home is abducted and forcibly converted to Islam. She resurfaces in the custody of an Islamic individual or group claiming conversion. Parents report to police. Authorities delay, defer to “religious sensitivities,” or cite safety concerns.
What makes this case stand out, lawyers and advocates say, is the documented police order that was not carried out.
“Under Section 1 of the Child Rights Act, and Bauchi’s 2023 domesticated version, parental custody is presumed unless a court orders otherwise,” said an Abuja-based child rights lawyer who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the case.
“A religious organization is not a legal custodian. When informal pressure can override the state’s top police officer, it shows where real authority lies in these cases.”
Legal experts note the Child Rights Act sets 18 as the age of majority. At 16, Jennifer cannot legally consent to a change of religion or guardianship without parental or court approval.
Pundits say the case leaves several gaps, including the chain of custody as to who authorized Jennifer’s initial removal from Bishara Dole, and why she was returned to the Da’awah group after the first police report. What protocol allows an objection by a non-party group to override a Police Commissioner’s directive on a child custody matter? On what legal basis was Jennifer placed in state orphanage care instead of with parents or a court-appointed guardian? Attempts to reach the Bauchi Police Public Relations Officer and BASOVCA for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.
A custody review involving the Commissioner, BASOVCA, and child-protection agencies is set for Monday.
The family says they will ask the panel to prioritize Jennifer’s welfare and her parents’ legal standing.
Rev. Mohammed and other church leaders say they are mobilizing legal and diplomatic advocacy ahead of the hearing.
For now, Jennifer remains in state care. The case will test whether Bauchi’s domesticated Child Rights Act can withstand pressure from non-state actors and whether a police order means anything when a teenager’s future is at stake.
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