The Bauchi State Police Command has come under fresh scrutiny after a meeting convened by its spokesperson, SP Nafiu Habib, allegedly saw 16-year-old Jennifer Joseph asked to choose between her parents and an Islamic Da’awah group currently contesting her custody.
This follows allegations by Jennifer’s parents that she was abducted and forcibly converted from Christianity to Islam.
The meeting, held on Sunday, August 23, brought together Jennifer’s parents, their legal team, representatives of Bishara Dole Ministry and members of the Da’awah group as authorities attempted to resolve the growing dispute over the teenager’s custody and religious identity.
But the meeting has triggered fresh controversy after Bishara Dole alleged that Jennifer was taken away to an undisclosed location for about one hour before she was brought into the discussion.
According to the account provided by the ministry, the teenager’s parents became suspicious that she may have been influenced or coached on what to say before she joined the meeting.
The allegation has not been independently established.
Bishara Dole further alleged that, after Jennifer was brought into the meeting, police asked her to choose between her parents and the Da’awah group.
The teenager, according to the ministry’s account, chose the Da’awah group.
The development has become a major point of contention, with Bishara Dole questioning why a 16-year-old minor would be required to make such a choice in the first place, particularly in a dispute involving parental custody and competing religious claims.
The ministry argued that the question of whether Jennifer preferred her parents or the Da’awah group should not determine her custody, insisting that the appropriate authorities should establish the teenager’s welfare, legal status and lawful custody through due process.
Bishara Dole has consequently described the police meeting as appearing to have been structured to reinforce the positions of the police and the Da’awah group rather than provide a neutral forum for resolving the dispute.
The ministry also alleged that SP Nafiu Habib controlled the proceedings in a manner that prevented the various parties from fully presenting their positions.
According to Bishara Dole, either Jennifer’s parents, their lawyers or representatives of the ministry were at different points prevented from making what they considered vital contributions to the discussion.
Police Meeting Follows Disputed Release Directive
The Sunday meeting came days after an earlier development in which Bishara Dole claimed that Jennifer’s parents had been summoned to the Bauchi State Police Headquarters and that the Commissioner of Police, after reviewing the matter, directed that the teenager be released to her parents.
According to the ministry, an Assistant Commissioner of Police was subsequently instructed to facilitate the release.
Bishara Dole, however, alleged that the process was stalled after representatives of the Da’awah group objected to Jennifer being handed over to her parents.
The ministry said Jennifer was subsequently moved to the Bauchi State Agency for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (BASOVCA).
The development reportedly left Jennifer’s parents stranded in Bauchi after travelling from Adamawa following the police invitation and expecting to return home with their daughter.
The parents have maintained that they want Jennifer returned to the family and have appealed for the matter to be resolved peacefully and through lawful procedures.
Mother Had Earlier Raised Alarm
The dispute erupted publicly after Jennifer’s mother, Saratu Daniel, from Ganye Local Government Area of Adamawa State, appealed for government intervention over the teenager’s custody.
Saratu alleged that Jennifer was initially introduced to Islam during a family visit and that she subsequently took the teenager to Bishara Dole for assistance.
She further alleged that a man identified as Abubakar, whom she said had presented himself at the centre as a Christian convert, later removed Jennifer from the facility and took her to the Da’awah group without the family’s consent.
Reverend Mohammed Mohammed of Bishara Dole subsequently called for an independent investigation into how Jennifer left the centre and how she came to be under the control of the Da’awah group.
He also alleged that Islamic preacher Adam Ashaka circulated a video accusing the Bishara Dole facility of child molestation.
Mohammed described the allegation as a smear campaign allegedly intended to discredit the ministry and strengthen the case for keeping Jennifer away from her family.
The child-molestation allegation has not been independently verified.
Police Places Jennifer Under BASOVCA
The Bauchi State Police Command has since clarified that Jennifer Joseph, also referred to as Fatima in connection with her Islamic identity, was temporarily placed under the custody of BASOVCA.
The police position has further complicated the dispute, particularly against the backdrop of the earlier claim that the Commissioner of Police had directed that Jennifer be released to her parents.
The central question now is what happened between the reported release directive and the teenager’s subsequent placement under BASOVCA.
According to the family, the Sunday meeting raised another major question about whether it was appropriate to ask a minor, who is at the centre of a contested custody dispute involving competing religious interests, to choose between her parents and a religious group.
Bishara Dole is demanding an independent investigation into the entire sequence of events, including Jennifer’s removal from its facility, the allegations against the centre, her subsequent movement to the Da’awah group, her placement under BASOVCA and the circumstances surrounding the Sunday police meeting.
The ministry has also urged authorities to ensure that the dispute is handled strictly through due process and without allowing religious interests to determine the outcome.
When SaharaReporters contacted Habib, he denied the allegations, explaining that his role at the meeting was not connected to the ongoing investigation into the matter, but was limited to obtaining information on how the parties involved should relate with the press.
According to him, more than 10 people attended the meeting, representing different groups, including a child rights organisation.
He also denied preventing any group from expressing its views, explaining that he simply did not allow everyone present to speak because he was not conducting the investigation.
I was not part of the investigation. My role was simply to get information from those directly concerned so we could understand how to relate with the press, particularly Jennifer’s parents,” he said.
Habib further rejected the allegation that he asked Jennifer to choose between her parents and the Da’awah group.
“I did not put it to her that way. What I asked was, if she were released, between her mother and her grandmother, who would she choose to live with?” he explained.
The police spokesperson, who also addressed the issue, began by urging all parties to exercise restraint and be truthful in their accounts.
“We should fear God in all that we say and do,” the spokesperson said, stressing the need for caution and honesty in discussing the case.
