April 2026 update

Seven children from the Du Merci Centres remain in the custody of Kano State authorities, despite a meeting on 15 April that was meant to finalise their return.

A document stating that the children had been returned to their adoptive parents was signed, yet the children were taken away and not released. While in state care, they have faced mistreatment, neglect, pressure to convert, and misinformation to scare them out of wanting to return to the only parents most have ever known..

In January 2026, 13 year old David Solomon Tarfa died after authorities at the orphanage where he and the other children are being held failed to provide him with urgently needed medical care. His body has still not been returned to his family.

We are calling for the children’s immediate return, the release of David’s body, and an end to this persecution.

Detained on Christmas Day 

On Christmas Day 2019, Professor Richard Solomon Tarfa was arrested on false charges of criminal abduction of the children in the Du Merci orphanages (which he founded with his wife, Mercy) in Kano and Kaduna States, Nigeria. 27 children were seized from the orphanages and forcibly relocated to a government-run home, where reports soon emerged of their maltreatment.  

After almost a year in detention, Professor Tarfa was released on bail on 10 December 2020 and he was acquitted of two out of three charges against him on 24 June 2021. However, on 3 March 2022, Professor Tarfa was sentenced to two years in prison on a false charge of forgery. Meanwhile 16 Du Merci children remain in the custody of state authorities. 

Here is a breakdown of events since Professor Tarfa’s arrest and what CSW has done to advocate for, and stand in solidarity with, his family.      

'I, on behalf of Du Merci, want to appreciate the family of Christian Solidarity Worldwide for standing beside us…That’s why we are calling on you to continue the good work you are doing. To continue to pray for us. To continue also to campaign against the illegal detention of our children.'

Professor Tarfa  

Case timeline 

28 January 2026: David Solomon Tarfa, 13, was found dead by his siblings on the morning of 28 January in the room where he had been resting. He had been suffering from debilitating stomach pain for over a week that had rendered him weak, unable to eat and unable to walk, but had received no medical treatment, despite the authorities at the orphanage being aware of his illness.

13–14 August 2025: Eight of the 16 Du Merci children were released and reunited with the Tarfa family. The eight youngest children remained in state custody pending further legal decisions.

March 2025: The Kano State High Court stated that all remaining children should be formally returned to the Tarfas by 19 March 2025. The date of the formal handover was subsequently shifted from 19 to 20 March. However, on 20 March, the Commissioner for Women Affairs informed those in attendance that the handover had been suspended.

4 November 2024: A hearing was adjourned after state lawyers failed to appear in court. The case was rescheduled for January 2025.

28 November 2023: During a hearing, the presiding judge encouraged an out‑of‑court settlement regarding the children’s return to the Tarfas.

24 August 2023: A second hearing was held but adjourned again, with the judge requesting documentation from earlier court rulings before proceedings could continue.

18 July 2023: The first hearing in a Kano State High Court case seeking the return of 16 Du Merci children was deferred after the lawyer representing the Ministry of Women Affairs failed to attend.

27 January 2023: Professor Tarfa is acquitted of the unfounded forgery charge levelled against him, released from prison and reunited with his wife.

24 November 2022: An appeal against Professor Tarfa’s prison sentence was heard in court.

17 November 2022: Many of our supporters joined us at an online prayer event with Mrs Tarfa ahead of her husband’s appeal hearing.

July - August 2022: CSW received reports that Professor Tarfa has suffered serious health challenges while in prison – including partial loss of sight.

January 2020 – August 2022: CSW UK issued 18 press releases on this case, which were covered 28 times by a total of 15 different media outlets. 

March 2022: CSW UK mobilised 787 people to email the Nigerian High Commissioner, urging the Nigerian government to review Professor Tarfa’s flawed conviction and sentence, and to expedite the return of the Du Merci children.

3 March 2022: Professor Tarfa was sentenced to two years in prison on a false charge of forging a certificate of registration from the Kano state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

January 2022: CSW worked with an MP who tabled two written parliamentary questions to the UK government on the Du Merci children.

24 June 2021: Professor Tarfa was acquitted on charges of ‘running an illegal orphanage’ and ‘criminal conspiracy and abduction of minors’.

March 2021: Two more children, aged 6 and 9, were forcibly relocated from the government-run home to to a remote rural orphanage. Reports later emerged that the five Du Merci children living in this facility have had their names changed and cannot remember their real ones. They also can no longer speak English (previously their first language), and are obliged to learn Arabic, study the Quran and attend prayers at a mosque.

February - November 2021: Professor Tarfa's trial was adjourned repeatedly.

24 June 2021: Professor Tarfa was acquitted on charges of ‘running an illegal orphanage’ and ‘criminal conspiracy and abduction of minors’.

20 January 2021: CSW UK organised an online prayer event for Professor and Mrs Tarfa, which was attended by at least 90 people, including the Tarfas.  

18 January 2021: Three of the Du Merci children, all aged four at the time, were forcibly relocated from the government-run home to an unknown rural location.

January 2021: 1,531 supporters emailed Lord Ahmad and Fiona Bruce MP, asking them to put pressure on the Nigerian government to ensure the safe return of the Du Merci children.  

10 December 2020: Professor Tarfa was released on bail after meeting the new bail requirements set in November 2020.   

October 2020: CSW Nigeria created an online petition for Professor Tarfa’s release, which has received 3,088 signatures worldwide.  

June 2020: James Duddridge MP responded to a written parliamentary question, confirming that the British High Commission in Abuja has raised Professor Tarfa's case with the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria and the Kano State authorities. And the UK Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief had raised the case with the Nigerian Federal Government at a senior level. 

3 January 2020: Professor Tarfa’s bail terms were set at N5 million (approximately $13,800).  

January 2020: CSW UK launched a campaign that mobilised 2,429 people to email the Nigerian High Commissioner, urging the Nigerian government to ensure Professor Tarfa’s release.  

31 December 2019: Armed officers raided, without warrant, the Du Merci branch in Kaduna State. 8 children were transported to the Nassarawa Children’s Home in Kano State. 

25 December 2019: 25 armed officers raided, without warrant, the Du Merci orphanage in Kano State. 19 children were forcibly moved to a government-run Nassarawa Children’s Home in Kano.  

Professor Tarfa was detained on accusations of illegally operating the orphanage, which were proven to be false. 

What now? 

We will continue to pray, campaign and advocate on behalf of the Tarfas and the Du Merci children until this family is reunited.  

Please join us in continuing to pray for the remaining children and the Tarfas.

‘Thanks for the wonderful work you and all the team in CSW have done and are still doing. You have no idea of the inestimable impact that you have made both spiritually, physically and materially.’

Du Merci board member