by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ABUJA/GENEVA (Worthy News) – A Nigerian Christian mother of five has received an international religious freedom award in Switzerland after spending more than 19 months in prison for sharing a video on social media condemning the killing of a Christian student.
Rhoda Jatau shared the footage through the WhatsApp messaging platform and was presented with the 2026 Shahbaz Bhatti Freedom Award on October 16 in Geneva, where she recalled the suffering of being separated from her children while facing prosecution over accusations of blasphemy.
“My experience in prison was not an easy one,” Jatau told the ceremony. “For over a year I did not see my children. I could only hear about them.”
The award was presented by First Step Forum, an international network promoting religious freedom and human rights, following her acquittal in December 2024.
It is named after Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s former Christian federal minister for minority affairs, who was assassinated in 2011 after campaigning against his country’s blasphemy laws.
CHRISTIAN STUDENT KILLED
Jatau was arrested on May 20, 2022, in Nigeria’s northern Bauchi State after allegedly sharing a video condemning the killing of Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, a Christian student murdered by a Muslim mob following accusations that she had insulted Islam.
Yakubu, also known as Deborah Samuel, was beaten, stoned and burned to death in Sokoto State, in an attack that sparked international condemnation and renewed concerns about religious intolerance in Africa’s most populous nation.
Jatau faced allegations of inciting public disturbances, insulting religious beliefs and cyberstalking under Nigerian criminal legislation.
She remained imprisoned until December 2023, when a judge granted her bail after more than 19 months in detention. She subsequently stayed at an undisclosed location for her safety while legal proceedings continued.
A court in Bauchi State eventually acquitted her of all charges on December 10, 2024, ending a prosecution that had attracted international attention.
WORTHY NEWS REPORTED CASE
Worthy News reported on Jatau’s imprisonment in November 2023, when the Christian advocacy organization Jubilee Campaign urged believers worldwide to pray for her release.
“Pray for Rhoda Jatau, who Nigerian authorities have detained since May 2022. Pray for her family and children. She is a mother of five,” the organization told Worthy News at the time.
Her husband also appealed for her freedom, saying in comments shared with Worthy News: “All I want is for Rhoda to be alive and free.”
The Christian legal advocacy organization ADF International, which nominated Jatau for the award, praised her determination to continue speaking publicly about religious persecution.
“Rhoda’s story is one of courage,” said Sean Nelson, senior counsel for global religious freedom at ADF International. “Despite seemingly hopeless circumstances, her time in prison did not break her faith or her resolve.”
INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE
Jatau’s lawyer, Joseph Bata Danboyi, said international intervention had played an important role in securing her freedom.
He described the prosecution as the first blasphemy case in Bauchi State and said international pressure helped bring about her release.
Nazila Ghanea, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, who had advocated for Jatau during her detention, attended the award ceremony.
Nigeria ranks seventh on the 2026 World Watch List of countries where Christians reportedly face the most severe persecution, compiled by the Christian advocacy organization Open Doors.
The African nation also remains the world’s deadliest for Christians, according to Open Doors, which documented 3,490 Christians killed for their faith during its latest reporting period, accounting for more than 70 percent of such deaths recorded worldwide.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONCERNS
Giorgio Mazzoli, ADF International’s director of United Nations advocacy, said Jatau’s experience demonstrated the importance of international scrutiny when religious minorities face prosecution.
“Religious persecution thrives when the world looks away. Rhoda’s case shows what can happen when it does not,” he stressed.
Marc Jost, executive director of First Step Forum and a member of Switzerland’s National Council, presented the award to Jatau.
Jost said her experience reflected the dangers posed by blasphemy legislation, which he warned continues to encourage violence and suppress freedom of expression in Nigeria.
Peter Bhatti, the slain Pakistani minister’s brother, presented Jatau with a copy of Blood & Water, a graphic novel about Shahbaz Bhatti’s life, and encouraged her to continue defending religious freedom.
“You are from Nigeria, but in Christ we are brother and sister,” he told her.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
