By Joy Yesufu
The Zamfara State Government has strongly denied reports alleging that a 22-year-old woman, identified as Zainab Muhamadu, is facing a death sentence in a Shari’a court for converting from Islam to Christianity.
The allegation, which surfaced on social media and was amplified by an online platform, has been described by the state government as entirely false and misleading.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesperson to Governor Dauda Lawal, said the story was fabricated and circulated to incite religious tension and misrepresent the situation in the state.
“We want to categorically state that it is the handiwork of enemies of peace, who are hellbent on creating tension where none exists,” Idris said.
He confirmed that no such case exists in any Shari’a court across Zamfara State, and that all relevant authorities, including the Grand Khadi of the Zamfara Sharia Court of Appeal, had been consulted.
“To ensure clarity, we contacted the Grand Khadi, who confirmed that there has never been such a case in Zamfara,” the statement added.
The government further revealed that the image used in the story was not that of a Nigerian citizen but of a woman named Aalia, reportedly from Texas, USA.
“This shows a clear case of identity misrepresentation and the dangerous trend of false reporting,” Idris said.
Condemning what it described as a clear case of yellow journalism, the government urged media outlets to verify stories before publication and called on security agencies to investigate the originators of the false narrative.
“We urge security agencies to trace the source of this fake news and bring those responsible to book,” the statement concluded. “Peace in Zamfara and across Nigeria—must not be undermined by irresponsible reporting.”
