The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Billiri Local Government Area Chapter, has accused the Bauchi State Government and the Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency of refusing to comply with a Federal High Court order directing the release of a 17-year-old girl, Faith Barnabas, to her mother.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its Chairman, Comrade Sarki Napthali, the group described the alleged continued detention of the teenager as contempt of court and a violation of her constitutional rights.
YOWICAN alleged that Faith, an indigene of Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State who lived with a guardian in Bauchi State, went missing in April 2026 after completing her university entrance examinations.
The group claimed that the girl’s mother, Mrs. Kumabe Zakari, subsequently filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, challenging the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s disappearance and continued custody.
According to the statement, the Federal High Court, Jos Division, on July 6, 2026, ordered the immediate release of the teenager to her mother.
However, YOWICAN alleged that despite the judgment, Bauchi authorities had yet to comply with the court’s directive.
Napthali said, “As of today, August 2, 2026, the Bauchi State Government and BASOVCA have failed, refused and neglected to comply with the binding order of a competent court of law. This continued detention amounts to contempt of court and a direct violation of the rule of law.”
The group further alleged that the teenager was removed from her family after being groomed by an adult male and was later declared to have converted to Islam while in state custody.
It also claimed that an earlier order by a Bauchi District Court directing that the teenager be released to her mother was not obeyed.
YOWICAN argued that the alleged actions violated the provisions of the Constitution, the Child Rights Act, the Bauchi State Child Protection Law, and international human rights instruments protecting children’s rights and freedom of religion.
“We call on the Bauchi State Government and BASOVCA to immediately and unconditionally obey the Federal High Court judgment of July 6, 2026, and release Miss Faith Barnabas to her lawful mother,” Napthali stated.
The organisation also urged the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspector-General of Police, and other security agencies to enforce the court order and ensure the protection of the teenager and her family.
It further called on the National Human Rights Commission, the Federal Government, diplomatic missions, and international organisations to intervene, insisting that failure to enforce the judgment undermines the rule of law and public confidence in the judiciary.