A young Nigerian student is sitting in prison after leaving Islam and converting to Christianity.

Nabila Umar Sanda, 19, grew up in a Muslim home but began learning about Christianity while attending school at Bingham University in Karu. She befriended a Christian man named Simput Dafup who introduced her to a local church leader named Jeremiah Datim.

Datim taught Sanda about the Christian faith until she eventually decided to accept Christ into her life.

"After I met Miss Nabila for the first time … I interacted with her and asked her a lot of questions about both the Christian faith and Islamic faith. Nabila clearly said that she had made up her mind to join the Christian faith and was willing to be a Christian no matter what obstacles were placed on her way," Datim told the World Watch Monitor.

Datim notified the local Islamic leaders about Sanda's conversion, as it is customary to do so in that region.

"Knowing the sensitive nature of conversion from lslam to Christianity, and given that between the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Jama'atu Nasril lslam (JNI) … there is a working understanding, or protocol, that where such issues or situations arise relating to any of the two religions, the leaders of the affected religion should contact the leadership of the other religion from which the convert is coming, I immediately contacted the leadership of JNI in the state and informed them that I had one Miss Nabila Umar Sanda in my possession and that she had converted to Christianity," he said.

The Islamic leaders contacted Sanda's parents. They were not happy about their daughter's conversion.

It wasn't long before Sanda, Datim, and Dafup were arrested.

"I understand that her father has said he has all the 'connections' in this country to deal with me, Dafup and any other person found to have been involved in the conversion of his daughter to Christianity, and that he will ensure that we rot in jail. l want to state here without fear of contradiction that neither Dafup, myself or any other person that has established contact with Nabila has breached any law of this land," Datim said.

"I also learnt [learned] that Nabila's father reported to the DSS that we forcefully abducted and brainwashed her into becoming a Christian. l challenge the DSS to produce Nabila and put us side by side so they can ask her if she was forcefully converted to Christianity or abducted or brainwashed," Datim went on to say.

Nigerian Christians are calling on their government to release the arrested believers.

"Spread d [the] gospel of Christ anywhere and anytime that is our major assignment and nobody can stop us. This government taking wrong steps and no one fight against God people can win," one man posted while sharing the story to his Facebook page.

"Share until justice is served.Isn't there something called freedom of worship again?" Another said.