A woman identified as Hamdiyya Sidi was briefly detained by the police in Sokoto State and then after was beaten and left for dead by unknown persons after she tasked the Sokoto State governor Ahmad Aliyu to act on the rising cases insecurity in his domain.
According to human rights group the Voices for Inclusion and Equity (VIEW), Hamdiyya Sidi questioned the indifference of governor Aliyu to the countless cases of violence affecting women and children in that part of the country.
She was arrested by the police on charges of “inciting unrest” and was beaten up when she was released on bail. The group said the arrest exposes a “shameful and oppressive mindset at the highest levels of leadership”.
“As we speak, after being released on bail, Hamdiyya was ambushed by ‘unknown persons’, beaten up thoroughly, and left for dead.
“In the conflict-ridden spaces of Northern Nigeria, women live under the constant threat of violence — rape, kidnapping, and terror — at the hands of armed groups.
“The young woman who spoke up was not ‘criticizing the government’ or ‘inciting unrest’; she was merely calling attention to a humanitarian crisis, of which there are countless victims, including members of her family and community.
“Hamdiyya spoke for millions who live in fear, those whose pleas have been ignored time and time again.
“Her arrest sends a chilling message: that in Sokoto, those in power are more interested in suppressing dissent than in protecting their people.
“It tells Northern women that their lives, their safety, and their voices are less important than the comfort of those who hold office.
“Why should a woman be detained and beaten up for speaking a painful truth? She did not curse, she did not threaten, and she did not incite violence; she asked a simple question.
“This cowardly response from the powers-that-be reeks of authoritarianism, and signals a profound disrespect not only for her, but for all women who bear the brunt of this unchecked violence.
“If our leaders cannot tolerate questions from the electorate, it is a clear sign of a decayed democracy,” said VIEW in statement made available to the media.
However, Sokoto State Police spokesperson Ahmad Rufai denied that Hamdiyya was arrested on the orders of governor Aliyu:
“We wish to make the record straight.
On November 3, 2024 at 1700hrs one Marafa Yakubu ‘m’ the village head of Sabon Birnin Daji village in Wurno local government area reported to the police that a woman later identified as one Hamdiyya Sidi ‘f’ of Munki village in Wurno local government area came to the village and deceived him that she is a member of that community representing a charitable organization meant to assist women and youth, that she wanted to address woman and distribute relief items to the less privileged in the society.
“To his greatest dismay while she was addressing the women he noticed that rather than distributing relief items as she claimed, she was inciting the women against the government by telling them to forcefully take over government properties in Wammako local government area of Sokoto state, stating that it belongs to them. “Noticing the tension in the community as a result of her incitement he quickly alerted the community guards who arrested her and handed her over to the police. During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the offence and was charged to court within 24hrs for the offence of inciting disturbance.
One of our constitutional responsibility is to investigate crimes both simple and capital in nature, to this end, the case of Hamdiyya is no exception.”
