Amnesty International has called on the Sokoto State government to immediately and unconditionally release Shafi’u Umar Tureta, a social media critic who was arrested by heavily armed police on the orders of the governor. Tureta’s arrest followed his posting of a viral video that showcased the lavish birthday party of the governor’s wife.
Authorities are reportedly planning to present Tureta before a court to seek his prolonged remand in prison, a move Amnesty International views as an attempt to fabricate charges against him. The human rights organization condemned the surge in human rights violations by the Sokoto State government, describing the trend as unacceptable and calling for its immediate end.
Amnesty International urged the Sokoto State government to shift its focus from silencing dissenting voices to addressing pressing issues such as poverty, the large number of out-of-school children, and the ongoing insecurity in the eastern parts of the state, which has led to hundreds of deaths and the displacement of thousands in Isa and Sabon Birnin LGAs.
The organization emphasized that it is not a crime to hold and express differing social or political opinions, and urged the government to cease its practice of arbitrarily detaining individuals for their dissenting views.
