Nigerian Journalist Arrested Under Criminal Defamation Charges After Reporting on Christian Persecution
Luka Binniyat, one of Nigeria’s leading journalists reporting on the persecution of Christians in Southern Kaduna, has been formally cleared of criminal defamation charges after a five-year legal battle. In November 2021, Binniyat wrote an article for The Epoch Times quoting a Nigerian legislator who accused a fellow lawmaker of “covering up” what he called a “genocide” against Christians in Kaduna. Following publication, Binniyat was arrested and detained on charges of criminal defamation. He was released in February 2022 but continued fighting the charges for years. In May 2026, the Federal High Court in Kaduna ruled in his favor, finding no substantial evidence to support the defamation charge and vindicating Binniyat nearly five years after his arrest.
“Luka Binniyat did nothing more than accurately quote a Nigerian legislator’s own words. This ruling is a vindication for Luka, but it should also be a wake-up call: accurate reporting on atrocities is not a crime, and journalists covering religious persecution deserve protection, not prosecution. Across Nigeria, Christians are being slaughtered for their faith. Journalists have both a duty and a right to report on these violent, religiously-motivated attacks — without their reporting, the suffering they face would go largely unnoticed.”
—Sean Nelson, Senior Counsel for Global Religious Freedom at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)
Case Summary
Luka Binniyat is recognized as one of Nigeria’s preeminent voices reporting on the persecution of Christians in Southern Kaduna. In November 2021, he wrote an article for the US-based Epoch Times in which he quoted a Nigerian legislator who accused another lawmaker of “covering up” what he described as a “genocide” against Christians in Kaduna. Shortly after the article was published, Binniyat was arrested and detained on charges of criminal defamation. He was released in February 2022 but continued fighting the charges against him for years afterward.
In May 2026, the Federal High Court in Kaduna ruled on Binniyat’s case, finding no substantial evidence to support the charge of defamation. In its decision, the court stated there was no evidence to prove the essential elements of the alleged offense and further found that the evidence presented against Binniyat was manifestly unreliable — vindicating him nearly five years after his arrest.
ADF provided legal support to the case and welcomes the ruling as a victory for free expression in Nigeria.
Standing with Christians in Nigeria
ADF has long advocated for Christians and other religious minorities facing persecution across Nigeria, one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian, where thousands are killed for their faith each year. Because of the prevalence of religious violence, particularly in the northern region of the country, Christians and other religious minorities face blasphemy laws, threats of death, violations of due process, and the destruction of property through mob violence.
ADF has supported numerous Christians in Nigeria in advocating for their right to freely and peacefully express their faith. This includes Rhoda Jatau, a Christian mother who spent 19 months in prison after being accused of sharing a video condemning the killing of Christian student Deborah Emmanuel Yakubu, and who was fully acquitted in December 2024. In 2025, David* (name changed for security reasons) was acquitted after being arrested and tortured for helping persecuted Christian converts flee violence.
ADF also advocates for the end of Nigeria’s draconian blasphemy laws, which for many years have driven social tensions and religiously motivated violence in the country. The case of Sufi musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, who was previously sentenced to death for writing allegedly “blasphemous” song lyrics, now holds the potential to overturn these laws. Sharif-Aminu’s case is pending before the Nigerian Supreme Court, and ADF is providing legal support in efforts to advance religious freedom for Christians and religious minorities in Nigeria.