Rev. Dikwa Urges Tinubu to Intervene in Detention of Zainab in Zamfara
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
A Kanuri-born civil rights activist and Christian convert, Rev. Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the case of Zainab Muhammad, a Muslim woman who reportedly converted to Christianity and is allegedly being held in police custody in Gusau, Zamfara State.
Dikwa, Director General of the Centre for Justice on Religious and Ethnic Rights in Nigeria, called on the President to order the Inspector General of Police to direct the Commissioner of Police in Zamfara to release Zainab to Christian leaders in the state, citing fears for her safety under Islamic blasphemy laws.
“We suspect that the continued denials by Zamfara State officials are strategic moves to cover up plans to harm or kill Zainab under Islamic law, which views conversion from Islam to Christianity (ridda) as a grave offense,” Dikwa stated in a press release on Thursday.
Rev. Dikwa, who converted to Christianity in 1994, recounted his own experience of persecution, alleging that his wife was taken from him, his three children were killed, and his extended family disowned him due to his faith.
“I have never seen my wife since she was taken. Two of my children were killed, and one had his leg broken because I left Islam for Christianity,” he said.
He accused the Zamfara State government and some Islamic organizations of attempting to suppress the Zainab case. “They denied the incident, claiming the photo used by Sahara Reporters was not of the actual woman. While this may be true, it doesn’t change the fact that Zainab Muhammad, a convert, is in police custody.”
Dikwa also claimed that lawyers handling Zainab’s case are facing intimidation. “The lawyer I spoke with confirmed her detention but later cut off contact, allegedly due to warnings from Northern Christian leaders not to share information with me.”
He cited other cases of persecution, including the murder of Baba Modu Wakili, a Kanuri man who worked with a COCIN Church project, and Usman Isa, who was reportedly slaughtered in front of his 7-year-old child in Maiduguri after converting to Christianity.
Dikwa urged the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other faith leaders to speak out and defend converts facing persecution.
He concluded by saying Zainab’s reported handover to the DSS was a positive step but warned that Christian leaders must stay vigilant.
