‘We Prayed in Whispers, Hiding our Bibles’
Mike Odeh James and Luka Binniyat are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria
By Mike Odeh James and Luka Binniyat
(Kano)- They stormed the orphanage on Christmas Day 2019, claiming it was a rescue, but what followed was a harrowing ordeal of religious persecution and stolen futures.
“They came on Christmas Day, like thieves in the night, and stole our lives.” These chilling words from Gabriella Solomon Tarfa 22, now a student of Public Administration with Plateau State Polytechnic, Jos, Plateau State. She echoes the anguish of a family torn apart by a 2019 raid on Du Merci Orphanage in Kano.
In exclusive interviews with TruthNigeria, Gabriella and her brother Joseph Solomon Tarfa, 21, currently studying as a final-year Media- and Film Production student with the National Film Institute in Jos, unpacked their harrowing journey of forced separation, detention, religious persecution, and educational sabotage—all allegedly orchestrated by state authorities under the guise of “protection.”
‘They Told Us We Were Being Protected—It Was a Lie’
Gabriella recalled the moment armed operatives from the Nigerian Police and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) stormed the orphanage she had called home all her life.
“They said they were rescuing us, but they were kidnapping us. They took us to a government orphanage and treated us like criminals. Our only crime was being raised by a man they falsely accused.”
That man was Professor Solomon Tarfa, their adoptive father and the founder of Du Merci Orphanage. He was arrested that day and later charged with kidnapping and running an unregistered orphanage.
Although the Court of Appeal cleared him of wrongdoing in January 2023, after more than a year in detention and legal limbo, the children—especially the younger ones—remain entangled in the aftermath of that single event.
‘They Offered Me Education Abroad—If I Denied My Faith’
Joseph, shared a disturbing account of religious coercion while he was held at the government-run Nassarawa Orphanage in Kano.
“An official called me aside and said, ‘If you convert to Islam, we will send you abroad to study and even arrange a wife for you,” he said. “But I told them that my faith is not for sale,” he told TruthNigeria.
“After that, they made life even harder for us,” he added.
According to Joseph, the older children from Du Merci resisted the pressure. Then, they began holding secret prayer meetings and smuggling Bibles into their rooms to keep their Christian identity alive.
“We prayed in whispers, hiding our Bibles. When they realized we wouldn’t break, they released us—the older ones—but kept the younger children who couldn’t fight back,” he said.
During their time in state custody, they were reportedly denied church services and subjected to indoctrination attempts that violated their freedom of religion, according to Joseph Tarfa.
“They refused us attending church services while in the government home for all these years,” Joseph added.
‘They Stole Our Education, Our Dreams’
The siblings say that beyond the trauma and separation, the most lasting damage was to their education.
“They refused to register my sisters for National Examination Council (NECO) exams – High School Certification,” Joseph said.
“They knew education was our only way out, so they blocked it deliberately,” he said.
“Deborah and Mitchell were in the same class before this nightmare. Today, Mitchell is in university studying Computer Science, but Deborah is just finishing secondary school. That delay is because of what they did to us.”
Gabriella corroborated this account, saying that some of her siblings lost multiple school years simply because the state stalled or prevented their enrollment and examination registration.
These actions, according to legal experts familiar with the case, may constitute violations of both national and international child protection laws.
’We Are Not Victims—We Are Survivors’
Despite the scars left by years of persecution, Gabriella and Joseph remain resolute. They see themselves not as victims, but as survivors with a duty to speak up for the voiceless.
“We will keep fighting,” Gabriella declared. “Not just for us but for the little ones still trapped in that place. They think because we are orphans, we have no voice. But they are wrong.”
Joseph, who is now working on a documentary film chronicling their experience, believes their story must be told to prevent future abuses.
“One day, the world will see what they did to us. And when that day comes, justice will follow.”
The siblings are not just seeking attention; they are calling for concrete action and accountability.
Today, the Tarfa siblings are appealing to both Nigerian civil society and international human rights groups to help secure the release of their younger siblings, who remain in state custody.
“Why is Kano still holding our younger siblings?” Gabriella asked. “Why is no one holding them accountable?”
Their voices, though once silenced, now ring louder than ever.
“We are not just statistics. We are human beings. If our story is ignored, what does that say about justice in Nigeria?” Joseph asked, his tone both defiant and weary.
The Bigger Picture
The Du Merci case raises questions about how Nigeria institutions in its northern states should treat vulnerable children from non-Muslim backgrounds. It also reveals systemic weaknesses in the accountability mechanisms meant to check government overreach.
While Prof. Tarfa’s legal exoneration stands as a victory, the human cost lingers.
Until the younger children are reunited with their family and restored to their educational paths, the story remains incomplete, according to Gabriella and Joseph Tarfa. By their sights, people sworn to protect children are sometimes the very ones who harm them the most.
