Nigeria: High court strikes down conviction of Christian man who helped persecuted converts flee violence

A Nigerian high court has overturned the conviction of a Christian man who was sentenced to prison after assisting two women converts to Christianity escape threats of violence. The ruling followed an appeal that challenged a rushed trial during which the man had no legal representation.

The man, identified as David, had been convicted earlier this year on kidnapping charges after he and another church leader, Ezekiel, helped two adult women, Adah and Naomi, relocate from their community in Northern Nigeria. The women had reportedly received credible threats of violence from both family and local community members after their conversion to Christianity, the legal advocacy group ADF International noted, adding that all the names of the persecuted individuals involved have been changed for security reasons.

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