The Police Command in Sokoto State has confirmed the arrest and jailing of a woman in Sokoto state, Hamdiyya Sidi, who criticized Sokoto State Governor Ahmad Aliyu over the rising killings and the abuse of Internally Displaced Persons in the state capital.
In a viral video, Ms Sidi revealed how bandits pillaged their villages without any restrain; and displaced women seeking refuge in the state capital are now being sexually exploited due to abject poverty and squalor.
This is coming as a global human rights organization, Amnesty International, has raised an alarm over the arrest and detention of Ms Sidi by the Sokoto State government for lamenting about the rising killings and insecurity in the state.
In a statement posted on its X handle on Thursday, decried the arrest of Ms Sidi and her secret trial for allegedly embarrassing the state Governor, Ahmad Aliyu, with a video where she called him out over the situation.
The organization said Sidi was arrested during the weekend on the orders of the state government for embarrassing Governor Aliyu on social media and a secret trial was conducted on Monday without having access to a lawyer nor family members before she was hauled off to prison.
It added that it was a wrong signal for the government to arrest and secretly prosecute Sidi for exposing the state’s humanitarian crisis, noting that the intimidation against the woman is unlawful and threatens Nigerians’ right to freedom of expression.
Sokoto state has joined in the harassment of social media and opposition voices over criticism of their governors.
What Amnesty International says:
“Amnesty International condemns the arbitrary arrest and secret arraignment of Hamdiyya Sidi — for posting a viral video on social media, in which she lamented how the neglect of people displaced by rampant insecurity is worsening humanitarian crisis in Sokoto state.
“Our findings show that Hamdiyya Sidi received warnings and veiled threats through phone calls for calling out the utter failure of #Sokoto stategovernment to support people affected by frequent gunmen’s attacks on rural communities in Sokoto state.
“Plan to charge Hamdiyya Sidi for the “use of insulting or abusive language” and “inciting disturbance” is an attempt to weaponize spurious charges to silence critical voices of young people in #Sokoto state who speak about human rights.
“Harassment and intimidation of Hamdiyya Sidi is unlawful. Attempts to silence and punish her, is solely aimed at creating a climate of fear for people who want to express critical opinions. #Sokoto.”
What police say
In a statement issued in Sokoto on Friday, the police command’s spokesperson, ASP Ahmad Rufai, said the woman was arrested and prosecuted for inciting unrest in the state.
“For clarity, Marafa Yakubu, the Village Head of Sabon Birnin Daji in Wurno Local Government Area, reported a case on Sunday involving a woman inciting unrest within the community,” he said.
Rufai explained that the woman, identified as Hamdiyya Sidi, allegedly introduced herself to the village as a member of a charitable organisation intending to support women and youth.
“However, instead of distributing relief items, she reportedly incited the residents against the government.
“Recognising the potential disturbance, the village head alerted community guards, who subsequently apprehended the woman and handed her over to the police,” he noted.
Rufai added that Sidi confessed during the investigation and was formally charged within 24 hours for inciting public disturbance, an offense under Nigerian constitution.
