UPDATE: Rhoda Jatau Granted Conditional Bail in Bauchi
The Nigerian government finally released Rhoda Jatau from jail after an international uproar over her plight, but they still haven't decided to withdraw the contentious accusations against her, which were based on purported insults to Prophet Muhammad.
The 46-year-old woman has been incarcerated since May 20, 2022. On that day, she denounced the public lynching of a Christian college student in a WhatsApp message. The State Security Service, an intelligence agency in Nigeria known for its history of rights violations and executions of dissenting voices, apprehended her from her residence.
On Friday night, Mrs. Jatau was released on conditional terms by the International Organisation for Peace and Social Justice, a UK-based nonprofit that assisted in coordinating the campaign for her freedom.
“We have just received confirmation that Rhoda Jatau has been released on bail to her family today,” the group said. “To everyone who lent their voice, time, finance and resources to support the #FreeRhoda campaign, this is a ray of victory for all of us.”
According to her attorneys in the northeastern state, healthcare worker Mrs. Jatau is set to return to court on November 19 to proceed with her standing trial on blasphemy allegations presented by the Bauchi administration.
After the judge presiding over the case refused her bail last month, Christian solidarity organisations throughout the globe voiced their indignation. Mrs Jatau's court argued that the case should be dropped because she was expressing her right to free speech when she voiced her indignation about the death of Deborah Samuel at Sokoto's Shehu Shagari College, and the court agreed. Jatau then applied for bail. There were allegations that Ms Samuel made disparaging remarks on a student WhatsApp group.
The state claimed that Mrs Jatau's conduct amounted to blasphemy, a crime punishable by life in prison in Bauchi and other regions of northern Nigeria. On the Primary Healthcare Authority of Warji Local Government Area staff WhatsApp group, she allegedly sent insulting remarks about Prophet Muhammad.
“You, therefore, committed the aforestated offence contrary to Sections 114, 210 of the Penal Code Law and Section 24 subsection 15(b) of Cybercrime Prohibition Prevention Act 2015,” the charge read.
Bystanders' footage of the lynching and subsequent cremation of Ms Samuel's body went viral, but no one has been arrested or charged in connection with the murder. According to police sources who spoke with Peoples Gazette, the leading suspect left Nigeria for the nearby Niger Republic after the incident.
During Mrs Jatau's extended arrest, the family's suffering was documented by the Christian Solidarity International, a Swiss advocacy organisation that further increased the demand for her release. In November 2022, her husband bemoaned the fact that he had scarcely slept since the situation started.
When asked for response by The Gazette, a representative from the Bauchi administration did not respond right away. On Saturday morning, however, a state source with knowledge of the situation informed The Gazette that Governor Bala Muhammad wanted a full investigation into the incident, if only to deter future public servants from making similar statements.
“What she said on the WhatsApp group was seen as a serious matter by the governor,” the official said under anonymity to comment without authorisation. “He didn’t want employees of the state ridiculing the Prophet in a state that is mostly Muslim. He has been very keen on a peaceful coexistence among all residents, but it should be done with respect.”