The custody of four girls from Zallaki community in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State by the Da’awah Council in Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State, whom they claim willingly converted to Islam has raised concerns over child protection, parental rights and freedom of religion following allegations that the girls were lured away from their families and converted to Islam.
The girls, aged 13, 15, 15 and 23, reportedly converted to Islam under circumstances disputed by their families. Three of the girls are minors, while the 23-year-old is a married woman and mother of three children.
The families allege that two young men, working with a middle-aged woman in Bigura, Toro LGA, persuaded the girls to leave Zallaki and embrace Islam without their parents’ knowledge or consent. However, the girls reportedly maintained during a meeting with their parents and officials of the Bauchi State Shariah Commission that their conversion was voluntary.
The incident has brought the provisions of the Child’s Rights Act into focus, particularly the protection of minors from exploitation, coercion and decisions that may undermine their welfare. It has also raised questions about how the rights of children, parental responsibilities and the constitutional freedom of religion should be addressed in a dispute involving minors and an adult.
Mrs. Useini, not her real name, a widow and mother of two of the girls, and the families of the other girls said they were shocked when they received letters from the Bauchi State Shariah Commission on Saturday, October 3, 2026, informing them that their daughters had converted to Islam.
According to the families, they had been unaware of the girls’ whereabouts until the letters were delivered. The correspondence, dated September 29, 2026, carried reference number BAS/SC/NCTI/065/VOL.1 and was signed by Muh’d Hadi Aliyu, Acting Director of the Da’awah and Islamic Education Department, for the Chairman of the Bauchi State Sharia’h Commission.
One of the letters stated that the girl concerned had presented herself before the Commission through members of the Da’awah Council Committee, reporting her conversion to Islam willingly. Similar letters were reportedly issued for the other three girls, stating that they had accepted Islam voluntarily and that their custody had been handed to the Da’awah Council pending the resolution of the matter with their parents.
Speaking in a telephone interview with our correspondent, Mr. Musa, not his real name, a community leader and uncle to two of the girls, said the paramount ruler of Zallaki first drew his attention to the matter and asked him to intervene.
Musa alleged that three of the girls were initially taken to a woman in Bigura, where they were encouraged to convert to Islam. He said two reportedly accepted, while the 13-year-old initially refused and returned home after spending two days away. According to him, the younger girl told her mother that she wanted to continue her education.
He further alleged that the 13-year-old later left home again with her elder sister after complaining that her school fees had not been paid. The sisters subsequently joined the other two girls, and all four were taken to Gwalfada village in Toro LGA, where they were reportedly converted to Islam before the Da’awah Council assumed responsibility for their custody.
The community leader said the families became more concerned after learning that a member of the Da’awah Council had allegedly accepted the girls’ account that they wanted to convert and that their parents had consented. The families dispute that assertion, insisting that no permission was sought from or granted by them before the girls were taken away and converted.
At a meeting held at the Bauchi State Sharia’h Commission on Wednesday, October 7, the girls were reportedly brought before their parents and asked to state their positions. According to Musa, they insisted that they had converted to Islam willingly and were unwilling to return home.
He said efforts to persuade the girls to return to their families, even if they wished to continue practising Islam, were unsuccessful. The meeting reportedly ended in a deadlock after the widowed mother confronted her daughters over their decision.
“A 13-year-old girl cannot decide on her own. What does she know? It is not their wish. Those boys are after them. It was deception they used to lure them,” Musa said, expressing the family’s position.
The parents’ worry are particularly on the three minors, arguing that their ages, the circumstances surrounding their disappearances and the alleged involvement of adults require an independent investigation. They maintain that the girls’ reported willingness to convert should not prevent authorities from examining whether they were deceived, pressured or improperly removed from their homes.
Under the Child’s Rights Act, 2003, a child is generally defined as a person below 18 years. The law provides safeguards for children’s welfare, dignity, protection from abuse and exploitation, and consideration of their best interests. The Act has been domesticated in Plateau State, although the precise applicable statutory framework and procedure in Bauchi State must also be established in addressing this cross-state dispute.
The child-protection question is particularly significant in the case of the 13-year-old, whose age makes her vulnerable to possible manipulation and whose welfare, education, family relationships and freely expressed views should be carefully assessed. The same concerns apply to the two 15-year-olds. Their statements should be heard, but the circumstances in which the decisions were made also require scrutiny.
At the same time, Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including the right to change one’s religion or belief. This Constitutional protection makes it important for authorities to distinguish between a person’s voluntary religious choice and allegations of coercion, deception, unlawful removal or improper restriction of liberty.
The position of the 23-year-old married mother of three also raises concerns. Unlike the other girls, she is an adult, and her religious choice ordinarily falls within her own constitutional rights rather than being subject to parental permission. Nevertheless, allegations concerning how she left her home and whether any coercion or deception occurred may still warrant investigation. Her marital and parental circumstances do not, by themselves, establish that her conversion was either voluntahry or involuntary.
The role of the Da’awah Council is therefore central to resolving the matter. According to the letters obtained by our reporter, the Council facilitated the girls’ presentation before the Sharia’h Commission and subsequently took custody of them pending discussions with their parents. The families want the circumstances of the girls’ movement from Plateau to Bauchi, the alleged assurances of parental consent and the basis for retaining them in the Council’s custody to be examined.
A transparent response from the Council and the Bauchi State Sharia’h Commission would help clarify what safeguards were followed, how the girls’ ages and individual circumstances were assessed, whether their accounts were obtained freely and what legal authority supports the present custody arrangement. The girls’ welfare and safety should remain paramount while these issues are investigated.
Musa also said the court had reportedly directed that the matter be transferred to Jos and that lawyers be contacted. The exact terms of the reported directive could not be independently confirmed as at the time of filing this report.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Bauchi State Sharia’h Commission were ongoing at press time. The four girls were still reported to be in the custody of the Da’awah Council in Toro LGA, pending the resolution of the dispute.
The case highlights the need for relevant authorities in Plateau and Bauchi states to work together to establish the facts, protect the minors and respect the constitutional rights of all four individuals. Any investigation should determine whether offences were committed without presuming that the girls’ stated religious choices are invalid or that the families’ allegations have already been proved.
Ultimately, the resolution should be guided by the law, the best interests and protection of the three minors, the independently established wishes of the adult woman, and the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion. Allegations of abduction, coercion or child-rights violations should be investigated by the appropriate authorities, while the Da’awah Council and the Sharia’h Commission should be given the opportunity to explain their actions.
