By Badamasi Bello, Jadetimes Staff
B. Bello is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Nigerian News
Sokoto State, a northwestern state of Nigeria hitherto known to be a custodian of the Islamic justice system since 1904 reforms led by Usman Dan Fodio, has recently gained notoriety as a place for human rights violations.
While Section 39 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended guarantees every person the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas without interference, this is not actually supported practically under the current administration of the ruling All Progressives Congress with increasing cases of arrests and intimidation of social media users critical of the government.
In August 2024, a social media user, Shafi’u Tureta, was arrested and detained on the orders of Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu. Tureta's alleged offense was sharing a viral video of a lavish birthday party held by the governor’s wife. He was hastily taken before the magistrate court and subsequently remanded in prison in what many described as an attempt to silence him for exercising his constitutional right to free speech. After national and international outcry from human rights organizations and civil society groups, Tureta was finally granted bail.
Just three months later, another case was that of a young woman, Hamdiya Sidi. She was arrested over a viral video she posted on social media, highlighting the neglect faced by internally displaced persons due to killings and insecurity in Sokoto State. Reports said Sidi received threats and warnings before her arrest, apparently to muzzle her criticism of the government's failure over the humanitarian crisis. She was charged with using insulting or abusive language and inciting public disorder.
A source from Achida, Sidi’s community, revealed that after her release on bail, armed men abducted her, beat her, and left her severely injured after throwing her from a moving tricycle. The ordeal sparked outrage, as many saw it as part of an orchestrated campaign to suppress dissent.
Taking to his Twitter handle, the governor's Special Adviser on New Media Nasir Bazza, on November 19, 2024 published a five-minute video detailing how Hamdiya had defrauded the community she wished to protect-a move which was generally condemned as an attempt at character assassination. The action was lambasted by critics for accusing the government of attempting to discredit activists from speaking against the ills of the masses.
Sidi later made to retract an apology video to the governor on November 20, 2024, of her own free will, while many observers indicated such a statement was made under duress.
The administration of Governor Ahmed Aliyu has been under increasing scrutiny for alleged human rights abuses. A few months into his administration, in May 2023, a young man in Sokoto City was reportedly beaten by the governor's security guards for suggesting that youth should be given priority. Eye witnesses said the governor watched the incident, which furthered accusations of heavy-handedness and intolerance of dissent.
The recently elected Governor Aliyu, into the second year of his administration, has been accused by critics of running a government that suppresses opposition and brazenly tramples on citizens' constitutional rights. Events in Sokoto State have called for urgent interventions by human rights advocates to save the persecution of fundamental freedoms.
