AFTER 18 months in prison, Rhoda Jatau, a Bauchi woman who condemned the alleged killing of Samuel Deborah in Sokoto State, has regained her freedom, the Punch newspaper reports early Saturday morning.
A reliable source who spoke on condition of anonymity told our correspondent that Jatau was released on bail on Friday following interventions by the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council and the Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria.
National Record had reported how the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) had on Friday at a press conference held in Bauchi also called on the federal and Bauchi State governments to direct the immediate and unconditional release of Mrs Rhoda Jatau from detention.
CITAD’s call was made by the Executive Director of CITAD, Engr. Y.Z. Ya’u, who noted that Jatau’s digital rights as well as her freedom of expression and speech as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution were infringed on.
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Ya’u stated that Jatau’s post did not incite violence or hatred and that it was simply an expression of her opinion, a right guaranteed to her under the Nigerian constitution. “It is an outright abuse of her digital right to freedom of expression online.”
Jatau, a mother of five, had been detained since May 2022 on the grounds of blasphemy, for sharing a video condemning the lynching of a student, Deborah, in Sokoto.
Deborah, a 200-level student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was brutally murdered after advising against sending religious materials on a WhatsApp page.
The source, however, did not reveal bail conditions or which court had granted Jatau bail, but noted that the Inter-Religious Council had played “a key role” in securing her bail and release.
“Following the outcry from the Christian community in Nigeria over the continued detention of Rhoda Jatau in Bauchi Prison, the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, and Christian Solidarity Worldwide Nigeria have swiftly intervened in the matter.
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“We are pleased to report that Mrs Rhoda has been granted bail and subsequently released from detention today. We have high hopes that the case will end in praise. Let’s continue to uphold her in our prayers. The leadership of NIREC played a key role. Praise be to our God”, he told our correspondent.
