The Zamfara State Government has strongly denied reports that a young woman is facing trial in a Sharia Court for converting to Christianity, describing the claims as fabricated and misleading.
The clarification follows viral online reports alleging that a 22-year-old woman, identified as Zainab Muhamadu, would face a Sharia court in Zamfara this Friday and potentially face the death penalty for abandoning Islam. The state government, however, says no such case exists and has condemned the reports as an attempt to incite religious tension.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesperson to Governor Dauda Lawal, the government dismissed the story as “mischievous fake news” propagated by online platforms notorious for spreading unverified content.
“This is the handiwork of enemies of peace who are bent on creating tension where none exists,” Idris said. “There is no record of such a case before any Sharia court in Zamfara State.”
According to the statement, the government acted promptly by engaging security agencies and consulting the Grand Khadi of the Zamfara Sharia Court of Appeal, who confirmed that no such case has ever been filed.
The government further revealed that the photograph accompanying the viral story was falsely attributed, identifying the woman in the image as Aalia, a resident of Texas, USA—not Zainab and not Nigerian.
Idris condemned the incident as a clear case of "yellow journalism" and urged security agencies to trace the origin of the report and prosecute those responsible for its circulation.
“This situation exemplifies yellow journalism that we must all denounce,” the statement read. “We call on all media platforms to uphold ethical standards and refrain from fueling division through falsehoods.”
The Zamfara State Government reiterated its commitment to peace and religious harmony, warning that divisive narratives would not be tolerated.
