{"id":75939,"date":"2025-08-04T19:36:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T17:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/?p=75939"},"modified":"2025-08-20T19:57:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T17:57:27","slug":"victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man","title":{"rendered":"Victory for Religious Freedom: Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian Man Who Faced Torture\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"75939\" class=\"elementor elementor-75939\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-50849094 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"50849094\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3e5ac6ba\" data-id=\"3e5ac6ba\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6fb00f62 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6fb00f62\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><strong>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. <\/strong><\/li><li><strong>ADF International and allied lawyers provided legal support to David\u2019s case and secured justice after a year-and-a-half of legal struggle. <\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-34e4a00e elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"34e4a00e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"606\" src=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818-1024x606.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-75940\" alt=\"Nigerian Christian man David.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818-1024x606.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818-300x178.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818-768x454.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818-1536x909.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-39af6d81 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"39af6d81\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>NORTHERN NIGERIA (4 AUGUST 2025)<\/strong> &#8211; 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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2084f0cf elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"2084f0cf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #AF272F\">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.<\/span> We welcome the court\u2019s 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.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">- Sean Nelson, Legal Counsel for Global Religious Freedom at ADF International<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-ae77f38 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ae77f38\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-58a5981d\" data-id=\"58a5981d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c6c5397 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1c6c5397\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u201cThis 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,\u201d said Sean Nelson, legal counsel for global religious freedom at ADF International. \u201cWe welcome the court\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p><p>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\u2019s court and was sentenced to nine years\u2019 imprisonment.<\/p><p>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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-233fce24 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"233fce24\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Christian Persecution in Nigeria <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-304230cd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"304230cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Tragically, cases like David\u2019s are <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/campaign\/support-the-persecuted-nigeria\">common in Nigeria<\/a>. Christians in the country face widespread persecution and violence from terrorist groups like Boko Haram and Muslim Fulani militias, as well as from government<a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/free-yahaya\"> laws and policies that severely restrict and punish religious freedom.<\/a><\/p><p>\u201cDespite the persecution in my community, I know that I have everlasting life,\u201d David said, citing John 3:16. \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p><p>In 2022, roughly 5,000 Christians were <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/campaign\/support-the-persecuted-nigeria\">murdered for their faith<\/a> in Nigeria \u2013 more than the number killed in all other countries combined. For 2023,<a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/campaign\/support-the-persecuted-nigeria\"> one estimate<\/a> put the number of Christians targeted and killed in Northern Nigeria at over 7,000.<\/p><p>Through strategic legal work and partnerships, ADF International supports clients like David across Nigeria\u2019s 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/yahaya-resolution\">international legislative<\/a> 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/cases\/rhoda-jatau-nigeria\">Rhoda Jatau<\/a>, acquitted of blasphemy charges in December 2024.<\/p><p>ADF International remains committed to defending religious freedom and standing alongside those persecuted for their faith until justice and liberty are secured for all.<\/p><p><em>*Names changed for security reasons.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2da768d elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"2da768d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-320a7a9c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"320a7a9c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tImages for free use in print or online in relation to this story only\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4c6f62ff elementor-widget elementor-widget-gallery\" data-id=\"4c6f62ff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;aspect_ratio&quot;:&quot;1:1&quot;,&quot;lazyload&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;gallery_layout&quot;:&quot;grid&quot;,&quot;columns&quot;:4,&quot;columns_tablet&quot;:2,&quot;columns_mobile&quot;:1,&quot;gap&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;gap_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;gap_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;link_to&quot;:&quot;file&quot;,&quot;overlay_background&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;content_hover_animation&quot;:&quot;fade-in&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"gallery.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery__container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-1-scaled.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"4c6f62ff\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NzU5NjQsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMDhcL0lNR18xNTY0LTEtc2NhbGVkLmpwZyIsInNsaWRlc2hvdyI6IjRjNmY2MmZmIn0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-1-683x1024.jpg\" data-width=\"683\" data-height=\"1024\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Sean-and-Kola-in-the-Nigeria-SC.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"4c6f62ff\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NzU5NjksInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMDhcL1NlYW4tYW5kLUtvbGEtaW4tdGhlLU5pZ2VyaWEtU0MuanBnIiwic2xpZGVzaG93IjoiNGM2ZjYyZmYifQ%3D%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Sean-and-Kola-in-the-Nigeria-SC-1024x723.jpg\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"723\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ADF-Sean_Nelson_400x400-1.webp\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"4c6f62ff\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6MjAyNDIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyM1wvMTFcL0FERi1TZWFuX05lbHNvbl80MDB4NDAwLTEud2VicCIsInNsaWRlc2hvdyI6IjRjNmY2MmZmIn0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/ADF-Sean_Nelson_400x400-1.webp\" data-width=\"400\" data-height=\"400\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1567-scaled.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"4c6f62ff\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NzU5NTksInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMDhcL0lNR18xNTY3LXNjYWxlZC5qcGciLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiI0YzZmNjJmZiJ9\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1567-656x1024.jpg\" data-width=\"656\" data-height=\"1024\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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\u2019s case and secured justice after a year-and-a-half of legal struggle. NORTHERN NIGERIA (4 AUGUST 2025) &#8211; A Nigerian High Court [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2073,"featured_media":75940,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[29,127,27,235],"class_list":["post-75939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-christian-persecution","tag-nigeria","tag-religious-freedom","tag-sean-nelson"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A High Court in Northern Nigeria has overturned the wrongful conviction of a Christian man who helped a persecuted convert escape violence.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Victory for Religious Freedom: Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian Man Who Faced Torture\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A High Court in Northern Nigeria has overturned the wrongful conviction of a Christian man who helped a persecuted convert escape violence.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ADF International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-04T17:36:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-20T17:57:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1010\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anna Rose Myrick\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adfintl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adfintl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Anna Rose Myrick\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Anna Rose Myrick\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f8e1c83fd24261beb39888eae356fe4a\"},\"headline\":\"Victory for Religious Freedom: Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian Man Who Faced Torture\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-04T17:36:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-20T17:57:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man\"},\"wordCount\":676,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"christian persecution\",\"Nigeria\",\"Religious freedom\",\"Sean Nelson\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man\",\"name\":\"Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-04T17:36:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-20T17:57:27+00:00\",\"description\":\"A High Court in Northern Nigeria has overturned the wrongful conviction of a Christian man who helped a persecuted convert escape violence.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg\",\"width\":1707,\"height\":1010,\"caption\":\"Nigerian Christian man David.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Victory for Religious Freedom: Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian Man Who Faced Torture\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/\",\"name\":\"ADF International\",\"description\":\"Protecting Fundamental Freedoms. Promoting Inherent Dignity.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Alliance Defending Freedom International\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png\",\"width\":175,\"height\":106,\"caption\":\"Alliance Defending Freedom International\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/adfinternational\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/adfintl\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/adfinternational\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/adfinternational\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f8e1c83fd24261beb39888eae356fe4a\",\"name\":\"Anna Rose Myrick\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/AnnaRoseMyrick_400x400-1-150x150.webp\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/AnnaRoseMyrick_400x400-1-150x150.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/AnnaRoseMyrick_400x400-1-150x150.webp\",\"caption\":\"Anna Rose Myrick\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/author\\\/amyrick\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian","description":"A High Court in Northern Nigeria has overturned the wrongful conviction of a Christian man who helped a persecuted convert escape violence.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Victory for Religious Freedom: Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian Man Who Faced Torture\u00a0","og_description":"A High Court in Northern Nigeria has overturned the wrongful conviction of a Christian man who helped a persecuted convert escape violence.","og_url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man","og_site_name":"ADF International","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational","article_published_time":"2025-08-04T17:36:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-20T17:57:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1707,"height":1010,"url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Anna Rose Myrick","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@adfintl","twitter_site":"@adfintl","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Anna Rose Myrick","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man"},"author":{"name":"Anna Rose Myrick","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/person\/f8e1c83fd24261beb39888eae356fe4a"},"headline":"Victory for Religious Freedom: Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian Man Who Faced Torture\u00a0","datePublished":"2025-08-04T17:36:24+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-20T17:57:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man"},"wordCount":676,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg","keywords":["christian persecution","Nigeria","Religious freedom","Sean Nelson"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man","name":"Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-04T17:36:24+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-20T17:57:27+00:00","description":"A High Court in Northern Nigeria has overturned the wrongful conviction of a Christian man who helped a persecuted convert escape violence.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1564-scaled-e1754316080818.jpg","width":1707,"height":1010,"caption":"Nigerian Christian man David."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/victory-for-religious-freedom-nigerian-high-court-strikes-down-wrongful-conviction-of-christian-man#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Victory for Religious Freedom: Nigerian High Court Strikes Down Wrongful Conviction of Christian Man Who Faced Torture\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#website","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/","name":"ADF International","description":"Protecting Fundamental Freedoms. Promoting Inherent Dignity.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization","name":"Alliance Defending Freedom International","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png","width":175,"height":106,"caption":"Alliance Defending Freedom International"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational","https:\/\/x.com\/adfintl","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/adfinternational","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/adfinternational\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/person\/f8e1c83fd24261beb39888eae356fe4a","name":"Anna Rose Myrick","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AnnaRoseMyrick_400x400-1-150x150.webp","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AnnaRoseMyrick_400x400-1-150x150.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AnnaRoseMyrick_400x400-1-150x150.webp","caption":"Anna Rose Myrick"},"url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/author\/amyrick"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2073"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}