Published 29th Nov, 2023

By Emmanuel Uti

Rhoda Jatau, a 46-year-old health worker in Warji Local Council, Bauchi State, who has been incarcerated for over 18 months on the count of blasphemy, lost her legal bid to have the case against her thrown out on Monday.

A Bauchi State high court rejected the no-case submission filed by Jatau’s attorney, and this means she must now answer to the allegations against her and that the government can continue to present their case.

Jatau’s attorneys had hoped that the charges brought against her by the Bauchi authorities would be dismissed, paving the way for her release from jail, but they must now present the case for her defense.

Jatau was arrested and charged under sections 114 and 210 of the state penal code, and section 24, subsection 1b(i) of the Cybercrime Prohibition Act of 2015 with inciting public disturbance, exciting the contempt of a religious creed and cyberstalking.

She had condemned the death of Deborah Yakubu, a female Christian student who was lynched to death by bloodthirsty muslim fanatics at the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto State.

On May 20, 2022, eight days after Deborah’s passing, the Bauchi State authorities arrested Jatau on allegation of blasphemy for sharing a message on her work WhatsApp group.

For the authorities, criticising the acts which led to Deborah’s death was a crime, but not the public murder of a human being. And now, unlike Deborah who paid with her life, Jatau is paying for speaking up with her freedom.

UN experts voiced concerns over Jatau’s arrest and incarceration for peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief in a joint statement with the Christian Solidarity International to the Nigerian government in October.

They also emphasised the fact that Jatau had only had access to legal representation a few times since her detention in addition to being denied bail on many occasions.

The trial has been marked by adjournments and postponements, which human rights activists construe as delaying tactics aimed at denying Jatau justice and keeping her in custody. They maintain that the prosecution does not have a case that can stand up to scrutiny in court.

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