Over 45 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), including Civil Society for Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) on Friday, demanded the immediate protection of Hamdiyyah Sharif, a Nigerian teenager and vocal social commentator, against constant attacks and threats to her life.
In a joint statement signed by the CSOs and made available to the media, the group said Sharif has suffered persecution, harassment, and unlawful treatment for consistently advocating for improved governance and citizen welfare in Sokoto State.
According to the CSOs including FixPoliticsAmnesty International Nigeria Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) Global Rights, and others, after several bandit attacks in her community resulting in displacement, killings, raping and arson, she tried to communicate this deplorable condition to draw the attention of the State Government on this brutal attack, but wondered why the state government or officials did not bother to visit or sympathize with communities that suffer severe and violent attacks.
“Sadly, this became the reason for her persecution, intimidation, harassment and threat to life. Rather than the state government to focus on ameliorating the suffering of the people who have some of the worst rate of poverty, almajiri and out-of-school children in Nigeria, it opted to direct its energy on attacking innocent citizens”, the CSOs lamented.
“Sharif, who was recently declared missing by her legal counsel, was reportedly found later in a hospital in Bakura, Zamfara State, in circumstances that are yet to be fully clarified.
“Three days ago, Miss Hamdiyyah was reportedly abducted on a commercial tricycle (Napep) in her village, taken to an unknown village where she was injected with unknown substances and abandoned in a bush in Bakura LGA of Zamfara.
“She was eventually found by good Samaritans, received medical treatment at a hospital, and ended up in a police station. Alarming reports indicate that the Commissioner of Police in Zamfara is under intense pressure to hand her over to the Commissioner of Police in Sokoto State. Given the suspicious circumstances of her abduction and the looming threat to her life, we call on the Inspector General of Police to urgently take custody and ensure the protection of Miss Sharif.”
The CSOs also warned that, “Should anything happen to her, the Commissioners of Police in both Sokoto and Zamfara will be held responsible.
“While her physical recovery remains a priority, the circumstances of her disappearance and the events leading to her hospitalisation raise serious questions about state complicity in the unlawful targeting of critics and the misuse of power by some state officials.
“While we do not yet have incontrovertible evidence to directly accuse Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State of orchestrating her ordeal, it is important to state that multiple reports and credible indicators point to alleged state involvement in the ongoing intimidation, harassment, and silencing of Miss Sharif.
Such allegations must be taken seriously and investigated transparently by relevant authorities.
“We remind His Excellency, the Governor of Sokoto State, of his constitutional oath to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to govern in accordance with rule of law and respect for human rights.
“The Constitution, under Section 39(1), guarantees every Nigerian the right to freedom of expression, and Section 35 guarantees the right to personal liberty. These rights are not gifts from the government—they are entitlements under our Constitution and democratic system.
“It is worrisome that the Police and the State Magistrate are being used to maliciously prosecute this teenager for crying out against insecurity and bad governance in the state. It is important that the Inspector General of Police brings sanity in the way and manner the Police are used to harass innocent citizens while bandits and other criminals are on social media mocking and challenging the Nigerian security but are not being dealt with.
“The case of Miss Sharif is not isolated. During the ‘#EndBadGovernance’ protests, 29 minors were unlawfully detained for participating in protests decrying Nigeria’s worsening economic situation and insecurity. Months after Civil Society pressure, they were released.
“However, many remain in deplorable conditions, without rehabilitation, psychosocial support, or access to justice. This is despite the President’s directive to investigate and prosecute the Police officers behind the prosecution of these minors, nothing till today has been done or said.”
Part of their demands include:
Immediate and unconditional release of Miss Hamdiyyah Sharif from from contrived detention and be accorded full protection for to enable her enjoy her constitutional rights to freedom of movement, freedom of expression, and personal liberty without fear of reprisal.
An independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and the allegations of state complicity. Those responsible for any wrongdoing must be held to account; The judiciary must act with courage and consistency in upholding the Constitution, as it remains the last hope of every Nigerian, especially the vulnerable ones.
“Today, hope is a dangerous thing for the average Nigerian citizen to have. It must not be crushed by a judiciary that bows to executive pressure or partisan interference.
“We call on the First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Fatima Ahmed Aliyu (wife of the Sokoto State Governor), and all women in public leadership positions to rise to the occasion and protect the dignity of a fellow woman. At a time when women’s participation in politics and governance in Nigeria is at an all-time low, silence in the face of injustice will only deepen the erosion of gender inclusion and equality.
“We ask them to speak truth to power and uphold the rights of all women, regardless of their status in the society.
“We call on the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, the National Assembly Committees on Women Affairs, Human Rights, and Judiciary, and all other relevant bodies to immediately commence oversight and enquiry into this case and others like it across Nigeria at large. This will also demonstrate their willingness to address injustice and save the country from global embarrassment and scandal.
“We want to reaffirm our commitment to collective action and support to end violence against women. Should this situation remain unresolved to save this young girl’s life, we will escalate advocacy to relevant international human rights bodies, including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, diplomatic community and call for visa denial and asset seizure.
“We will also explore legal redress through international mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court (ICC).This country belongs to us all—young and old, male and female, rich and poor, leader and follower. Civic space must never be a privilege only for the powerful; it is a right guaranteed to all citizens.
“We will not fold our arms while Nigeria drifts into authoritarianism under the guise of protective regime.We will continue to mobilise, resist, and speak against injustice, because silence is not neutrality—it is complicity”, it added.
