By Lewis Bunsuru
Again, the quirky story of teenage girl Hamdiyyah Sidi within the Sokoto corridor of the North-Western region has been curiously re-oxygenated by interests that communicate debatable genuineness and on the other hand, an untidy, covertly funded disruptive political plot ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As is usual, these episodic narratives draw in some motely civil society entities and shrill voices that affect to defend the helpless. But the main, skulking mischievous drivers remain in the background.
But first, a backstory to the Hamdiyyah misadventure. In November 2024, Hamdiyyah Sidi was arrested by police in Sokoto State for allegedly inciting unrest and arraigned for reportedly demanding accountability from the state governor over the degenerating security situation in the state.
The teenager had allegedly made a video on social media lamenting the insecurity and gender-based violence faced by women and girls in the state. She reportedly asked the governor if he and his family faced the horrific violence that has befallen several countless women across the region. She was allegedly subsequently arrested by the police in the state.
According to Saadatu Madaki, an activist who spoke to SaharaReporters, “Hamdiya Sidi was arrested, arraigned, then released on bail. She returned home and some hoodlums abducted and beat her, leading to injuries. She was taken to the hospital where she received treatment. She was later moved by her family to a secure location. She doesn’t live in a village. She stays in the city; she was in her grandmother’s house when the attack happened.”
But another source said Hamdiya is a national of the neighbouring Niger Republic with part of her parental links from Sokoto.
Initially wading into the fray, a coalition of gender advocates, Voices for Inclusion and Equity (VIEW), like a mild hurricane, made landfall in Sokoto State and unfolded what seems a script with 18-year-old Hamdiyya Sidi, the alleged victim, as the central character cast. Even Amnesty International had their say in the unfolding drama.
VIEW is a North-central, North-east and North-west Nigeria coalition claiming commitment to fostering equitable, inclusive, and just societies for women across the nation insisted that at no point did the teenager criticise the governor or incite unrest. According to VIEW, “She was merely calling attention to a humanitarian crisis, of which there are countless victims, including members of her family and community.”
Significantly, the advocacy group widened the net of their accusation to Northern Nigeria as a whole. According to them, women live in constant threat of violence, rape, kidnapping and terror at the hands of assailants “in the conflict-ridden spaces of Northern Nigeria.” It urged Northern governors to protect and support their “suffering citizens” and address the issues raised.
Fortunately, the Nigeria Police Force, Sokoto Command, brought some clarity to the Hamdiyyah Sidi incident and frowned at media reports which suggested it secretly arrested and arraigned the teenager who reportedly lamented the recent rise in killings in Sokoto and also for embarrassing Governor Aliyu Ahmed Sokoto. “This is false and misleading. We wish to make the record straight,” the police had stated.
In words of the police: “On the 3rd of November 2024 at 1700hrs one Marafa Yakubu ‘m’ the Village Head of Sabon Birnin Daji Village in Wurno Local Government Area reported to the police that a woman later identified as one Hamdiyya Sidi ‘f’ of Munki Village in Wurno LGA came to the village and deceived him that she is a member of that community representing a charitable organization meant to assist women and youth and that she wanted to address woman and distribute relief items to the less privileged in the society.
“To his greatest dismay while she was addressing the women he noticed that rather than distributing relief items as she claimed, she was inciting the women against the government by telling them to forcefully take over government properties in Wammako LGA of Sokoto State, stating that it belongs to them.
“Noticing the tension in the community as a result of her incitement he quickly alerted the community guards who arrested her and handed her over to the police. During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the offence and was charged to court within 24hrs for the offence of inciting disturbance.
“Sokoto State Police Command remains resolute in upholding the fundamental human rights while discharging our duty.”
If there is subsisting mystery in the Wammako LGA incident, the police report appropriately contexted and defogged it.
Given its self-set mission, VIEW is within her rights to defend women’s right to freedom of expression and political inclusion. But this must be done within the law. Incitement to civil unrest is unacceptable, especially in a period of multiple socio-economic and security challenges.
Such flawed strategy will unquestionably hobble women’s political participation, and perpetuate a male-dominated landscape. Worse, this scenario would be particularly detrimental for a conservative region like Northern Nigeria, where women face even more significant barriers to public office. The good news for VIEW is that significant progress is being made in women participation and inclusion.
It was 100 years after American women got the right to vote that Karmala Harris became her first female vice president – and almost the first president. Peaceful progress is evolutionary – certainly not a revolution.
But good a thing, the law is not sleeping. Hamdiyyah’s trial is not an arbitrary act of retaliation as painted by the opposition and some civil society platforms. It is a legal process grounded in Nigeria’s legal framework. The charges of cyberbullying and cyberstalking flow from the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act of 2015, which criminalises the use of digital platforms to harass, intimidate, or incite violence.
A recent surprisingly bile-filled riposte by a respected US-based academic is simply tantamount to shocking misinformation and fundamentally mischaracterizes the core issues. To cavalierly assert that Governor Ahmed Aliyu is “imperial, illiberal and power-drunk,” is to flaunt intellectual dishonesty that diminishes that respected arena.
The forces hiding under the Hijab of Hamdiyyah are clearly pushing a foggy agenda in Sokoto State and perhaps by extension, Northern region. And worse, this intrusion is resurfacing when considerable challenges are confronting both the state and region.
Governor Ahmad Aliyu’s administration is definitely one that values equity, inclusion, and diversity across all dimensions. His administration’s 9-point governance agenda address critical fundamentals to change the Sokoto story. It must not be unduly confronted or needlessly distracted.
A weaponised Hamadiyyah – by whosoever – is certainly playing the wrong game, in the wrong league.
Bunsuru wrote from Abuja
