Rhoda Adamu Jatau, who was held in a Bauchi prison for allegedly insulting Prophet Mohammed, has been freed. She was granted bail last Friday (Dec. 8) following intervention from Christian associations and human rights activists in Nigeria and the United States.
The mother of five was arrested from her hometown in the Warji county of Bauchi State on May 20, 2022, after sharing a video of a man condemning the mob lynching of a Christian college student, Deborah Emmanuel, 470 miles away in Sokoto state the week prior on a WhatsApp channel.
Bauchi authorities charged her with “inciting public disturbance as well as insulting and exhibiting contempt of religious creed” under sections 114 and 210 of the 2006 Bauchi State Penal Code and refused to grant her bail. A United Nations Special Rapporteur Nazila Ghanea had expressed “deep concern” over Jatau’s arrest and prolonged detention.
Channels Television reports that Jatau left Bauchi for Gombe State immediately as soon as she was released.
Read more: https://www.channelstv.com/2023/12/09/blasphemy-bauchi-woman-released-after-19-months-in-prison/
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
