The Zamfara State government has strongly denied viral reports claiming that a 22-year-old woman faces death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity.
In an official statement released today, Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesperson for the Zamfara State Governor, dismissed the story as “totally false” and fabricated by “enemies of peace who want to cause problems where there are none.”
Following the circulation of the report, which alleged that Miss Zainab Muhamadu would stand trial in a Sharia Court on Friday, state authorities conducted an immediate investigation involving security agencies and judicial officials.
“The Grand Khadi of the Zamfara Sharia Court of Appeal has confirmed there has never been such a case before any Shari’a court in Zamfara State,” the statement clarified.
The government further revealed that the image used in the original report does not depict a Nigerian citizen but rather a woman named Aalia from Texas, United States.
Authorities described the false story as “a failed attempt to disrupt peace” and criticized certain media outlets for “copying and pasting content from social media accounts eager for likes and comments” without proper verification.
The Zamfara government has called on security agencies to investigate the origins of what it termed “yellow journalism” and prosecute those responsible for attempting to “create significant religious tension” in the state.
