Amnesty International has raised serious concerns over an arrest warrant issued for Hamdiyya Sidi Sharif by the Wurno Magistrate Court sitting in Gwiwa, Sokoto State, on July 10, despite her absence in court due to ongoing medical treatment following her recent abduction.
The human rights organization described the warrant as a violation of fair hearing and due process, especially as her legal team had filed a motion for trial in absentia on June 19. Amnesty is calling for the immediate withdrawal of the warrant pending the court’s ruling on the motion.
Sharif is currently facing trial over charges filed by the Sokoto State Government, accusing her of “use of insulting or abusive language” and “inciting disturbance” following her criticism of Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s handling of the worsening security crisis in eastern Sokoto.
Since the start of her legal ordeal, Sharif has reportedly been abducted twice. The most recent incident occurred on May 20, when she went missing on her way to a local market. She was later found in a remote bush in Zamfara State, abandoned and severely abused. Previously, on November 13, 2024, she was kidnapped by armed men, beaten, and thrown from a moving tricycle, sustaining serious injuries.
Amnesty International has urged the Sokoto State Government and Nigerian security agencies to stop targeting dissenting voices and instead focus on tackling the escalating violence in eastern Sokoto, where gunmen continue to kill residents, raze villages, and abduct women and girls almost daily.
