CSW in Nigeria brings release to Christians under pressure 01/03/2010
Christians in Northern Nigeria who have been attacked, kidnapped and abused have been turning to CSW for support. The good news is that not only has CSW been able to help but its involvement has also resulted in their release.
CSW’s office in Nigeria has only been operating for just over a year, but there has been a steady stream of urgent cases like the following one that required their intervention.
Pastor Makeri was accused of abducting a lady called Hanatu who had been a Christian for six years. When Hanatu ran away, her Muslim father went immediately to the pastor asking for her return. Although Pastor Makeri did not know where she was, he volunteered to help him find his daughter, and together they found her twelve days later.
Despite the help he had received from Pastor Makeri, Hanatu’s father brought charges against him in the local Shari’a court, where he was faced with the prospect of six months in prison or paying a fine of 30,000 naira (approx £120 and equal to almost the average monthly wage in Nigeria). Although completely innocent, Pastor Makeri paid this potentially crippling fine, but his problems were far from over.
Hanatu’s father also forced her to renounce her faith and then married her against her will to a Muslim man. Once at her new home, Hanatu again ran away and a Shari’a court judge summoned Pastor Makeri to his residence and sentenced him to six months in prison.
CSW, with its specialist knowledge of the law and ability to bring public pressure through the media, challenged the judge who immediately withdrew the verdict and asked the police to investigate. The judge was still reluctant to release Pastor Makeri, but finally did so after further intervention from CSW.