Rhoda Jatau, charged under Sharia Law for “blasphemy,” acquitted!

Rhoda Jatau has been fully acquitted after spending 19 months in prison on blasphemy charges. She was released on December 10, 2024, through ADF International. Rhoda Jatau, a mother of five, was jailed on May 20, 2022, by the Nigeria police in Bauchi for allegedly sharing a video to a WhatsApp group condemning the murder of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, who had been stoned and burnt alive by her Muslim classmates.

After her neighbourhood was attacked and burned down, she was charged under sections 114 (public disturbance) and 210 (religious insult) of the Bauchi State Penal Code for allegedly sharing the blasphemous video. Bauchi State practices a form of Sharia law under which blasphemy is a crime punishable by execution. 

ADF International, the faith-based legal group supporting Jatau’s legal defence, stated that she was fully cleared of wrongdoing by a Bauchi State judge this month. When news of Jatau’s actions reached the public, many immediately called for her death. Deborah’s killing had taken place eight days before Jatau’s arrest. She was reportedly accused of committing blasphemy after she posted on social media that Jesus had helped her pass her exams. 

During Jatau’s trial, a Bauchi state judge denied her lawyers’ attempts to dismiss the charges, claiming a lack of evidence to back up the prosecution’s claims. News of the acquittal follows international backlash and appeals from ADF International and other religious freedom activists. United Nations experts had also sent a joint letter to the Nigerian government on Jatau’s behalf, condemning the country’s blasphemy laws.