DSS Accused of Defying Court Order in Bauchi Teenager's Forced Conversion Case

A law firm based in Jos, Wholesome Attorneys, has written a strongly-worded petition to the Department of State Services, accusing the agency of contempt of court in the case of 17-year-old Faith Barnabas. The teenager has been at the center of a controversy surrounding her alleged forced conversion to Islam, which her mother, Mrs. Kumabe Zakari, claims was done without her consent. The petition, dated July 9, 2026, and addressed to the Bauchi State Director of the DSS, urges the security agency to comply with a July 6 judgment of the Federal High Court, Jos Judicial Division, which ordered the immediate release of the teenager to her mother. According to the lawyers, the continued detention of Faith contravenes Section 8 of the Bauchi State Child Protection Law, 2023, which recognizes parental authority over decisions concerning a minor's religion and welfare. The lawyers alleged that Faith was being held at the Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency despite existing court orders directing that she be reunited with her family. The petition stated that Faith's mother had initially regained custody of her daughter after the alleged forced conversion in April 2026 but that Sadiq Ahmed Hussaini, the man accused of orchestrating the conversion, tracked the teenager to Jos and abducted her to an undisclosed location. The Bauchi State Police Command later located Hussaini and recovered the teenager but transferred her to the Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency instead of releasing her to her mother. The lawyers expressed concern that Hussaini was allowed access to the teenager while her mother and other relatives were denied similar access. The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Billiri Local Government Area Chapter, Gombe State, has also condemned the continued detention of Faith, describing it as an affront to the rule of law and the authority of the judiciary. The group argued that the continued custody of the teenager violates constitutional provisions relating to personal liberty, family life, and freedom of religion, as well as provisions of the Child Rights Act and the Bauchi State Child Protection Law.