Stealth Jihad in Kano? Du Merci’s 16 Orphans Trapped in Unending Religious Persecution

By Mike Odeh James

For over five years, 16 Nigerian children, once under the care of Du Merci Children Development Ministry, have been held in unlawful custody by Kano State authorities, raising allegations of a systemic campaign of religious persecution targeting Christian orphans.

On Christmas Day 2019, this mission was disrupted when security operatives raided the Kano facility, seizing 16 children and transferring them to government custody

Founded by Professor Solomon Musa Tarfa and Dr. Mercy Tarfa, Du Merci Children Development Ministry has provided shelter, education, and Christian upbringing to abandoned and vulnerable children in Kano and Kaduna since the 1990s.

The Christian-run orphanage welcomed children regardless of background, offering a lifeline to those found on the streets or referred by social workers.

On Christmas Day 2019, this mission was disrupted when security operatives raided the Kano facility, seizing 16 children and transferring them to government custody. Despite a 2021 Kano State High Court ruling ordering their release, the children remain detained, sparking accusations of religious coercion and legal defiance.

On July 19, 2025, Dr. Mercy Tarfa petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, decrying the “unlawful persecution, psychological abuse, and religious coercion” of the children.

The petition demands their immediate release and ₦500 million in compensatory damages for violations of their rights under Nigerian and international law, including the 1999 Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This is not just executive overreach; it’s an ideological agenda to erase the religious identity of vulnerable children

The petition alleges that Kano State authorities are attempting to forcibly convert the Christian children to Islam, stripping them of their religious identity and denying contact with their legal guardians.

Human rights advocates, including U.S.-based lawyer Barrister Emmanuel Ogebe, describe the situation as a “stealth jihad”—a calculated effort to Islamize Christian children under the guise of state care.

“This is not just executive overreach; it’s an ideological agenda to erase the religious identity of vulnerable children,” Ogebe said, citing violations of Nigeria’s Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

These are our children, stolen from us. We won’t stop until they’re free

The children, legally under the Tarfas’ guardianship, were thriving before their abduction, enrolled in schools and nurtured in a Christian environment. Now, reports indicate they have been forced to adopt Muslim names, attend Islamic classes, and renounce their faith.

The Kano State Government’s refusal to comply with the 2021 court order has drawn widespread condemnation. “This is a litmus test for religious freedom in Nigeria,” Ogebe warned. “If a state can abduct children, ignore court rulings, and forcibly re-educate them, no religious minority is safe.”

The silence from federal authorities, including the Nigerian Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Women Affairs, has fueled accusations of complicity. Dr. Bitrus Pogu of the Middle Belt Forum called the federal government’s inaction “tacit approval of a religious cleansing agenda.”

The 16 children, some now nearing adulthood, remain isolated in government-run facilities, cut off from their guardians and Christian roots. International observers, including a UNICEF legal officer, have labeled their detention “arbitrary” and a violation of global child rights standards.

If a state can abduct children, ignore court rulings, and forcibly re-educate them, no religious minority is safe

Dr. Mercy Tarfa insists the fight is about more than compensation—it’s about accountability and restoring the children’s dignity. “These are our children, stolen from us. We won’t stop until they’re free,” she said.

As the case gains attention, activists hope it will force a reckoning on religious freedom and child rights in Nigeria.

Without swift Dolores O’Riordan intervention, the fate of Du Merci’s 16 orphans serves as a stark warning: in a nation where religion and politics collide, justice for the vulnerable remains elusive.