By Adesakin Adefemi
The family of Jinkai Simon, a 17-year-old student from Pankshin LGA in Plateau State, has accused the Kano State Hisbah Board of converting their daughter to Islam and arranging her marriage without their consent.
The allegation is contained in a petition dated May 6, 2026, and addressed to the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police.
According to the petition, Jinkai went missing on March 9 after leaving her home in Zaria, Kaduna State, for school. She had been living with her elder sister, Jennifer Simon, in the Kuregu area of Zaria before disappearing.
The family said she was last seen with a neighbour identified as Ruqaiya. They alleged that Ruqaiya later informed them that Jinkai had converted to Islam and was taken to Kano, where she was handed over to the Hisbah board.
The petition claims the board changed the teenager’s name from Jinkai Simon to Aisha Sani and married her off to a man identified as Abdulsamad. The family said she is now known as Aisha Abdulsamad.
It further alleges that documents were falsified to change her age from 17 to 19. Attached documents show an affidavit allegedly deposed before a Kano State High Court declaring her age as 19.
The family accused the Hisbah Board of forging consent documents purportedly signed by the parents to facilitate the process. They described the actions as illegal and a violation of their rights.
“In order to perpetrate these illegal acts, the Hisbah Board went as far as forging consent documents purported to have been signed by parents, including causing her to swear to an affidavit that she is 19 years old,” the petition reads.
The parents have asked the police commissioner to investigate the matter and ensure the safe return of the teenager. Copies of the petition were also sent to the Inspector-General of Police, CAN in Kaduna State, and other Christian groups.
The case has reignited debate over the role of Hisbah in handling cases involving minors and interfaith conversions in northern Nigeria.
