How Kano State Officials Threatened US Observers, Disobeyed Court Order to Return 16 Christian Orphans

By Mike Odeh James

KANO, Nigeria – When Rev. Dr. Devlin Williams and Barrister Emmanuel Ogebe traveled to Kano State in March 2025, they hoped their visit would mark the end of a multi-year-long battle to reunite 16 children with the Christian Du Mercy Orphanage, a facility that had been operating in the region for decades.

The children, originally taken from the orphanage on Christmas Day 2019 by the authorities, had been held at the Nassarawa Children’s Home, a government facility, following the arrest of the orphanage’s director, Professor Solomon Tarfa. The case had drawn widespread attention from human rights groups and even the embassies, who were alarmed by the manner in which the children were taken. The government’s actions were widely condemned as part of a larger effort to suppress Christian institutions in the region.

The case had finally reached a pivotal moment in March 2025, when a consented court order stipulated that the children were to be returned to the Du Mercy Orphanage. Yet, as Williams and Ogebe arrived in Kano on March 18 to oversee the handover, they were confronted with intimidation and threats from local officials that would have seemed out of place in any democratic system, let alone one bound by law.

“It was supposed to be a simple handover,” said Rev. Dr. Devlin Williams, recalling their arrival at the Nassarawa Children’s Home that afternoon. “They children had packed their bags in excitement and the 2pm transfer had been set by the Women’s ministry itself in compliance with the consented order.”

But as the pair waited hours for the children to be handed over at the facility, things got complicated. The Commissioner for Women’s Affairs and Social Development for Kano State arrived at the scene with her police staff, after the situation became tense.

“We had hoped that with the Commissioner’s arrival, the rule of law would be respected,” Williams continued. “But as it turned out, it wasn’t going to be that simple.”

Williams described how they waited till dark as officials stalled honoring the court order that had been issued for the children’s release. “We arrived at 2 p.m., and we had to wait until 7 p.m. before the Commissioner finally showed up,” Williams said.

When the Commissioner arrived, her behavior was nothing short of confrontational. “She was angry,” Williams noted. “And she told us that she was supposed to be at dinner with the governor and needed time to study the one-week old court order. We responded that we had been in her ministry two weeks earlier to resolve the case and they were fully aware before they then provided the transfer date to be included in the court order for the children to be handed over.”

As tensions escalated, the Commissioner’s demeanor became increasingly hostile. “At one point, she turned to my American colleague and said, ‘Go to hell,’” Ogebe recalled, shaking his head in disbelief.

Yet the threats didn’t end there. Barrister Emmanuel Ogebe, who accompanied Williams, detailed the chilling words of the officials who surrounded them. “They threatened to smash my colleague’s phone, our car, and then smash us,” Ogebe said. “They said, ‘This is Kano. We will do it, and nothing will happen.’”

For Ogebe, the situation was a stark reminder of the executive lawlessness of years past. “I’ve never seen a Nigerian official threaten a foreigner in this manner,” he said. “It was deeply troubling. We were there to observe a lawful court order was enforced, and instead, we were subjected to threats and intimidation. Honestly, if we hadn’t received a copy of the judgment, we wouldn’t have wasted our resources flying all the way from America for this spectacle.”

As the threats grew more severe, Ogebe and Williams began trying to leave the premises. “They told us they were going to smash the phone, smash the car, and then smash us,” Ogebe recounted. “It was as if they believed they could operate with total impunity.”

Finally, after excruciating minutes of waiting, the gate opened, and the international human rights advocates were able to leave the nation’s capital. “We didn’t hesitate. We knew we had to leave immediately,” Williams stated. “It wasn’t just the threats against us; it was the complete disregard for the law and the safety of the children.”

Once safely in Abuja, Williams filed formal complaints with both the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. State Department the threats they had faced. “This wasn’t just intimidation,” he said. “It was a complete disregard for the rule of law and an affront to international human rights. These children’s lives are in danger, and the government seems determined to prevent their return to a safe, loving environment.”

What followed after their departure was even more troubling. The Kano State government, despite drafting and having signed the court order for the children’s return, filed a motion to set aside that order. In their new motion, government officials claimed that some of the children had converted to Islam and, as a result, would not be returned to the Christian orphanage.

“We had suspected for years that there was a conversion agenda at play,” Ogebe said, referring to longstanding concerns about the government’s intentions toward the children. “But we didn’t have anything in writing until now. The government is now openly stating that these children have converted to Islam, and that’s why they won’t return them.”

Ogebe and Williams both voiced their concerns that this move was part of a wider effort to marginalize Christians in the region. “It’s clear to us now that this was never about the children’s welfare,” Ogebe remarked. “This was a proselytization agenda. They didn’t want these children in a Christian orphanage and they wanted to destroy the orphanage that had served the city for 32 years.”

Williams echoed this sentiment, calling the government’s actions “deeply troubling.” “We went there for a lawful court ordered transfer, and yet we were threatened in the most lawless way,” he said.

As the battle over the children’s future continues, both Williams and Ogebe remain determined to fight for justice, despite the significant obstacles they face from local officials.

“Please pray for these poor kids who were saddened and disappointed about their inability to leave that day,” Williams pleaded,“that Justice will prevail and their six year captivity will end.”