Latest Headlines
Hamdiyya Shariff Must Not Be Harmed

The current travail of 18-year-old Hamdiyya Sidi Shariff in the hands of the agents of Sokoto State Government, is an assault on free speech and democracy, and therefore, unacceptable.
Shariff was arrested and put in prison for allegedly lamenting the rising killings and general insecurity in the state on social media.
In a viral video, she revealed how bandits pillaged their villages without any restraints, and how displaced women seeking refuge in the state capital are now being sexually exploited due to abject poverty and squalor.
First, she was abducted by armed men while on her way to collect her phone from a charging point, beaten, thrown out of a moving tricycle and left with severe injuries.
Again, she was charged before a Sharia court for using abusive language and criticisms against constituted authority.
Last week, Amnesty International raised concerns over her safety, calling for an investigation into alleged threats to her life and that of her lawyer, Abba Hikima.
The Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said apart from facing persecution for exercising freedom of expression, Shariff and her lawyer were being subjected to threats, including phone calls and in-person confrontations by sponsored thugs and individuals.
He described as deplorable, Governor Ahmad Aliyu’s frightening intolerance of dissenting voices through heavy handed clampdown on critics in a free society.
He said no one should be punished solely for expressing an opinion that is contrary to that of the government.
The actions of the Sokoto State government represent an alarming abuse of power and a calculated attempt to intimidate and punish those who speak out for their society. The hostilities being faced by Shariff and Abba Hikima are increasingly making their appearance in court in Sokoto dangerous.
Instead of suppressing dissident voices, the state government should direct all its efforts and energy towards curbing the insecurity and poverty in his state.
The agents of the state government should leave the promising young lady alone. She is too young to be subjected to any kind of torture and deprivation of her freedom at this stage of her life.