CV NEWS FEED // A court in northeast Nigeria has fully acquitted a Nigerian Christian evangelist of kidnapping charges, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
Until his November 8 acquittal, Daniel Kefee faced kidnapping charges for helping a child escape after she received death threats from her Muslim family over her conversion to Christianity. Kefee helped the child flee from her home and secured a place for her to stay at a local Christian school.
According to ADF’s press release:
ADF International allied attorneys in Nigeria defended Kefee in court, submitting that providing life-saving assistance is not a crime. The court has ruled in Kefee’s favor, stating to government prosecutors that, “should the defendant have left the girl, what would have happened with her?”
Kefee’s lawyer in Nigeria, Hamman Ezekiel Pwana, stated that he was “thrilled that [Kefee] has been exonerated and that [the girl] can live out her newfound Christian faith freely.”
“We thank the courts that they have recognised that Christian converts should not face threats from anyone and that it is not a crime to assist them,” he added. “We are hopeful that this will set a precedent to allow Christian converts throughout Nigeria, and especially the North, to find peace and safety.”
Sean Nelson of ADF called Kefee’s acquittal “an incredible victory for religious freedom in Nigeria.”
He continued:
Christian converts from Islam in Nigeria are often denied the ability to live out their faith due to credible threats and targeted attacks against them. We are relieved that Hafsatu found safe refuge and that Daniel was completely acquitted of the charges related to helping her to safety.
As CatholicVote previously reported, Nigeria is included in International Christian Concern’s 2023 Persecutors of the Year report as a country of “major concern” due to continued Christian persecution at the hands of Muslim extremists.
