Victory for Religious Freedom: Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian Man Who Faced Torture 

  • A High Court in Northern Nigeria has overturned the wrongful conviction of a Christian man who helped a persecuted convert escape violence in the country.
  • ADF International and allied lawyers provided legal support to David’s case and secured justice after a year-and-a-half of legal struggle.

NORTHERN NIGERIA (4 AUGUST 2025) – A Nigerian High Court has overturned the wrongful conviction of a Christian man, David*, who was tortured, imprisoned and fined after aiding two adult women converts who faced violent threats for converting to Christianity. David had been falsely accused of kidnapping and other crimes in early 2024 and convicted following a rushed three-day trial without legal representation.

This case is a powerful reminder of the urgent crisis facing Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria. David was tortured, prosecuted, and imprisoned simply for helping a woman escape violence because of her faith. We welcome the court’s decision in this case and pray that others will never have to face what David went through. Protections for religious freedom must increase within Northern Nigeria.

- Sean Nelson, Legal Counsel for Global Religious Freedom at ADF International

“This case is a powerful reminder of the urgent crisis facing Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria. David was tortured, prosecuted, and imprisoned simply for helping a woman escape violence because of her faith,” said Sean Nelson, legal counsel for global religious freedom at ADF International. “We welcome the court’s decision in this case and pray that others will never have to face what David went through. Protections for religious freedom must increase within Northern Nigeria.”

David was one of two Church leaders targeted for their role in helping two adult women, Adah* and Naomi*, safely relocate after they converted to Christianity and faced credible death threats from family and community members. After aiding their escape, David and another church leader, Ezekiel*, were unlawfully detained and tortured for weeks by militants before being handed over to police. While Pastor Ezekiel was released without charges after legal intervention, David was prosecuted and convicted on false kidnapping charges without legal representation in a three-day sham trial at a magistrate’s court and was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment.

ADF International-supported lawyers intervened, securing his release on bail and appealing the conviction. In July, the High Court quashed the conviction entirely and ordered the return of the fine David had been forced to pay. The state did not appear in court to defend the original prosecution.

Christian Persecution in Nigeria

Tragically, cases like David’s are common in Nigeria. Christians in the country face widespread persecution and violence from terrorist groups like Boko Haram and Muslim Fulani militias, as well as from government laws and policies that severely restrict and punish religious freedom.

“Despite the persecution in my community, I know that I have everlasting life,” David said, citing John 3:16. “This is our encouragement. My community and I, in the Christian faith, rejoice on account of the assurance of the Word of God. This is our confidence and peace.”

In 2022, roughly 5,000 Christians were murdered for their faith in Nigeria – more than the number killed in all other countries combined. For 2023, one estimate put the number of Christians targeted and killed in Northern Nigeria at over 7,000.

Through strategic legal work and partnerships, ADF International supports clients like David across Nigeria’s national courts and through international mechanisms, aiming to bring immediate relief and promote respect for religious freedom. Efforts to raise awareness of religious persecution, including recent international legislative initiatives, highlight the ongoing challenges faced by vulnerable communities in Nigeria. Efforts like these have led to the release of many persecuted Christians like David, such as Rhoda Jatau, acquitted of blasphemy charges in December 2024.

ADF International remains committed to defending religious freedom and standing alongside those persecuted for their faith until justice and liberty are secured for all.

 

*Names changed for security reasons.

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“What is a woman?” legal showdown begins in Australian Federal Court 

  • Biological male “Roxanne Tickle” sued “Giggle for Girls” app, and founder Sall Grover, for female-only membership policy
  • Appeal began today (4-7 August) in pivotal case for rights of women to female-only spaces, with implications for the safety of women’s sports, crisis shelters, changing rooms and more 

SYDNEY (1 August 2024) – The Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia has begun to hear the appeal in what has been described as the “ultimate ‘what is a woman?’ case” in a 4-day hearing from 4-7 August. 

Last summer, the Court ruled in Roxanne Tickle v. Giggle for Girls (“Tickle v. Giggle”) that “Roxanne Tickle,” a biological male who identifies as a woman, experienced unlawful discrimination when prevented from joining female-only networking app “Giggle.”  

The court found that Tickle experienced “indirect discrimination,” ordering Giggle for Girls to pay $10,000 AUD in compensation and to cover Tickle’s legal costs.  

I am optimistic. I know we are right & I know that reality always wins - eventually. Reality is inescapable.

- Sall Grover, CEO, "Giggle"

Tickle sued the female-only app on the basis that, being “legally permitted to identify as female” and having had his birth certificate amended, he should be permitted into spaces reserved for biological women. Giggle for Girls argued that women have a right to single-sex spaces, both online and offline. 

The Court rejected Giggle’s defence that Tickle was not unlawfully discriminated against, but instead disqualified from joining the networking app due to his male sex.   

In the judgment, the court stated “…sex is not confined to being a biological concept referring to whether a person at birth had male or female physical traits, nor confined to being a binary concept, limited to the male or female sex…” 

ADF International has supported Giggle’s defence on the basis that Australian law must uphold the truth of biological reality and in line with the protections for women enshrined in international human rights law.  

Commenting on the decision, Giggle CEO, Sall Grover, said:  

“To use Giggle, users had to be female, and female in the ordinary use of the word which is biological,” Grover explained, adding, “I am optimistic. I know we are right & I know that reality always wins – eventually. Reality is inescapable. The law has to reflect reality. In reality, no man is a woman so therefore no man should legally be a woman.” 

Katherine Deves of Alexander Rashidi Lawyers, legal representatives for the Respondent, said: “The stakes are high in this case. Women’s international human rights will be lost if “woman” now includes any male who identifies as such. This decision matters not just in Australia but also to the watching world.”  

Robert Clarke, Director of Advocacy for ADF International, which provided support for the case, said:  

“By ruling that a biological male was discriminated against for being excluded from a women’s app, the court delivered a flawed judgment that undermines protections for women. Sex is not a feeling – it is a biological fact, and it cannot be changed. This appeal is a defining moment: the Court must choose between ideology and reality.”

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Pictured (left to right): Sall Grover; Katherine Deves; Robert Clarke.