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November 12, 2024
Sidi, 18, has been in the news over her arrest by the police in the state for “embarrassing" Governor Aliyu on social media.
A teenager in Sokoto State, Hamdiyya Sidi, has been abducted and assaulted by thugs allegedly working for Sokoto State governor, Ahmad Aliyu.
Sidi, 18, has been in the news over her arrest by the police in the state for “embarrassing" Governor Aliyu on social media.
SaharaReporters had exclusively reported how she was secretly arraigned by the police without having access to a lawyer nor family members.
In the video in question, Sidi lamented the insecurity in the state and demanded an end to incessant killings by bandits.
She revealed how gunmen took over villages without any restraint, adding that displaced women seeking refuge in the state capital were being sexually exploited due to abject poverty and squalor.
Speaking to SaharaReporters on Tuesday, an activist, Saadatu Madaki, confirmed Sidi’s abduction shortly after she was granted bail by the court.
She added that the teenager was also assaulted by political thugs.
She said, “Hamdiya Sidi was arrested, arraigned, then released on bail. She returned home and some hoodlums abducted and beat her, leading to injuries.
“She was taken to the hospital where she received treatment. She was later moved by her family to a secure location. She doesn’t live in a village. She stays in the city; she was in her grandmother’s house when the attack happened.”
Giving more background on what happened, Madaki said, “About a week ago, the girl, who according to a human rights group in Sokoto State is a teenager, made a video lamenting the insecurity in Sokoto villages and how the governor does not seem to care. He doesn’t even send condolences to them when they get killed.
“She narrated how girls get raped in the presence of their fathers and wives get raped in the presence of their husbands. She asked how he would feel as a mature thoughtful person if that was done to his daughter or wife.
“She also mentioned that there are a lot of refugees in the villages who left their homes due to insecurity. She said the villagers should leave their villages and go into the city where the government built about 500 homes for civil servants, perhaps if the governor is tired of seeing them there, he would give them a solution.
“The ladies behind her were simply affirming what she said regarding how their little girls and mothers get raped and generally their plights. She was very respectful in the video. She did not insult him or instigate any form of violence.”
However, Sokoto police command spokesperson, Ahmad Rufai, in a statement last Friday said Sidi was arrested and prosecuted for inciting unrest in the state.
Rufai said in the statement, “We wish to make the record straight. On the 3rd of November 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 women and distribute relief items to the less privileged (underprivileged) 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.”
Sokoto state in Northern Nigeria is struggling with rampant banditry, where armed groups terrorize villages, steal valuables, harm residents, and set homes ablaze. The region faces severe security challenges, leaving communities vulnerable to these devastating attacks.