A recent viral claim alleging that a 22-year-old woman named Zainab Muhamadu is facing the death penalty in Zamfara State for converting to Christianity is entirely false, according to a detailed investigation by PRNigeria.
The controversial report, first published by a national daily under the headline “Zamfara Woman Faces Death Penalty for Converting to Christianity”, alleged that Zainab’s prosecution stemmed from her decision to renounce Islam following an encounter with a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member identified only as Pastor Samuel. The story claimed that Zainab developed a spiritual relationship with the NYSC member, leading to her conversion and subsequent arrest on charges of apostasy in a Shari’a Court.
The report sparked outrage among civil society groups and human rights activists, who condemned the alleged development as violating Nigeria’s constitutional right to freedom of religion.
However, PRNigeria’s fact-checking team conducted a verification exercise and found no credible evidence supporting the claim. Apart from The Guardian, a few online media platforms also circulated the story, but some — including a very popular online media — eventually deleted it, suggesting concerns over its authenticity.
Further investigation revealed that the Zamfara State Government had issued an official rebuttal. According to Politics Digest, which did not publish the original claim, the government described the story as “false and misleading”. It accused its promoters of trying to stoke religious tension in the state.
In a striking twist, PRNigeria discovered that the image used in the viral posts was that of Aalia Reeves, a Muslim content creator based in the United States. Aalia has no ties to Nigeria or Zamfara State, and in her videos, she openly shares her experiences as a devout Muslim whose faith positively influenced her Christian mother.
PRNigeria confirmed that Aalia’s identity was misused to lend credibility to the false narrative about Zainab Muhamadu — a person for whom no public or legal record could be found in Zamfara State.
Despite the initial traction the story gained on social media and some news platforms, PRNigeria concluded that the claim lacks any verifiable basis.
Verdict: False
There is no evidence that anyone named Zainab Muhamadu is being tried for apostasy in Zamfara. The claim is a fabrication rooted in identity theft and misinformation.
The public is advised to remain cautious of unverified viral content and to rely on credible sources for accurate information.
