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An 18-year-old activist faces lashes, jail, or a fine for calling out insecurity. Her case highlights growing suppression of women’s voices and rising state brutality in Nigeria.
By Kester Ezuma
The sentencing of 18-year-old activist Hamdiyya Sidi Shariff by a Sokoto Chief Magistrates’ Court has sparked nationwide outrage and drawn international concern over Nigeria’s human rights trajectory. Her alleged offense? Criticizing the government’s handling of insecurity in Sokoto State—a region grappling with daily violence, abductions, and widespread displacement.
Arrested on November 13, 2024, Shariff was accused of “inciting public disturbance” after a viral video in which she lamented the suffering of rural communities, the unchecked brutality of bandits, and the exploitation of displaced women in the state capital. The young activist’s call for justice was met not with dialogue, but with force.
Rather than address her revelations, the Sokoto State government charged her before a Sharia court and later a Chief Magistrates’ Court, resulting in a shocking sentence: 12 strokes of the cane, two years in prison, or a ₦50,000 fine. This punishment has been widely condemned as unconstitutional, misogynistic, and a violation of her fundamental rights.
Before her arrest, eyewitnesses reported that Hamdiyya was abducted, assaulted, and thrown out of a moving tricycle by unidentified armed men—an attack that left her severely injured and traumatized. There has been no official investigation into the incident.
Her legal team, led by Barrister Abba Hikima, has faced harassment and intimidation. Amnesty International has raised alarms over threats directed at both Shariff and her lawyer, including stalkers posing as intelligence agents and hostile individuals loitering around the courthouse and their hotel.
In response to this egregious abuse of justice, Freedom Advocates Network (FAN)—a global human rights advocacy group—has launched a petition against the brutal assaults and systemic injustices faced by women and young activists in Sokoto State and beyond. FAN is calling on the Federal Government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene, uphold the Nigerian Constitution, and ensure that justice, not fear, governs the land.
“The government cannot remain silent while state institutions oppress citizens for exercising free speech,” stated a FAN spokesperson. “Nigeria belongs to all of us, and no part of the country should operate under a shadow legal system that contradicts our national laws and violates the dignity of women.”
Social media has become a rallying ground for Shariff’s supporters. Many hail her as a hero who dared to speak truth in the face of tyranny. Others warn that this case signals a dangerous erosion of democratic values, where digital dissent is criminalized, and Sharia law is used to muzzle free expression in a supposedly secular republic.
At a court hearing in February 2025, it emerged that Hamdiyya’s statement was obtained without legal counsel present, a clear breach of her rights. Yet, the court admitted it as evidence, relying on a flash drive and translated video to pursue the charges.
Instead of confronting the true crisis—insecurity, terrorism, and gender-based violence—the Sokoto State government appears more focused on suppressing the voices of those who dare to demand answers. Governor Ahmed Aliyu, elected democratically, is expected to uphold the rule of law, not preside over intimidation and judicial persecution.
Freedom Advocates Network insists that the Federal Government must act immediately, ensuring the withdrawal of all charges and a full investigation into the abuse of Hamdiyya and her legal counsel. Nigeria cannot thrive while its youth are brutalized for challenging injustice, and its women are silenced for demanding dignity.
This is not just Hamdiyya’s fight—it is the battle for Nigeria’s soul. Democracy means nothing if those who raise their voices for the voiceless are punished instead of protected.
#JusticeForHamdiyya #FreeSpeechUnderThreat #NigeriaDemocracyCrisis #EndStateRepression #FreedomAdvocatesNetwork #ProtectWomenVoices #DropTheChargesNow #OneNigeriaOneLaw #NoMoreSilencing #HumanRightsNigeria #StandWithHamdiyya #SayNoToShariaAbuse #FANPetitionForJustice #BolaTinubuActNow #YouthVoicesMatter #StopStateBrutality
•Dr. Kester Ezuma
Founder/President
Freedom Advocates Network (FAN)
Los Angeles, California
