Amnesty International has called on Nigerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Fatima Muhammad Sa’idu, who was arrested on Sunday by the Nigeria Police in Sabon Gari, Zaria, reportedly over a social media post referencing the 2015 mass killing of members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) by the military.
The rights group described her arrest and detention as unlawful and a blatant violation of her right to freedom of expression.
Fatima had reportedly commented on the mass killing of IMN members between December 12 and 14, 2015, under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. Amnesty International’s investigations previously found that over 350 people were unlawfully killed by Nigerian soldiers in Zaria during that period. Victims included women and children, many of whom were burned alive or buried in mass graves in Mando, Kaduna State. Witnesses also reported seeing piles of bodies outside the morgue of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Shika, Zaria.
Amnesty International stressed that it is within Fatima Sa’idu’s human rights to voice criticism of past or present governments, adding that “criticism is not a crime.”
The organisation further warned that the increasing repression of critical voices online is contributing to a climate of fear and censorship, particularly among young Nigerians. It urged authorities to fulfil their national and international human rights obligations by respecting and protecting the rights of all citizens.
