Hamdiyya Sidi Sharif Must Not Die

 A Call to Action Against Religious Extremism and State Complicity in Sokoto State.

On May 12, 2022, Deborah Samuel was brutally murdered; she was stoned to death and set ablaze in broad daylight by a mob of Muslim youths over an unverified allegation of blasphemy. Despite the horrifying nature of her death, there was no meaningful investigation into what she actually said. Even former Vice President Atiku Abubakar hastily distanced himself from a press release issued by his media team, wherein they condemned the killing. He ordered its withdrawal without seeking to verify the facts. The Nigerian authorities, likewise, never publicly examined the evidence or clarified whether any crime had truly been committed.

According to others in the chat group where the incident began, Deborah had responded to praise about her academic performance by saying, "God or Jesus Christ did it for me." Another accusation was that she questioned why they were injecting religious matters into educational content. Proof of the contentious statement or blasphemous statement has never been established. However, one student deemed the statement blasphemous and demanded an apology. Deborah refused, believing she had said nothing offensive.

That refusal led to a call for retribution beyond the university. Extremists descended on the campus, overwhelmed the campus security team, and dragged Deborah out of hiding before killing and burning her. In January 2023, the charges against two suspects in her murder were dropped due to a "lack of diligent prosecution." In layman's terms, the prosecutors, police, and witnesses weren't coming to court.

Today, Hamdiyya Sidi Sharif faces a similar fate, not for blasphemy, but for daring to organise a protest to highlight the alarming insecurity in Sokoto State. She is being prosecuted on charges of cyberbullying, inciting public disturbance, and using insulting and abusive language against the Sokoto State Governor. However, authorities have yet to clarify what she said that qualifies as a criminal offence.

Meanwhile, Hamdiyya has already survived two assassination attempts, once in Sokoto State and again in Zamfara State, where she is currently hospitalised after being kidnapped. She was thrown from a moving motorcycle and beaten and left for dead in the bush.

Her conduct or activities are well-documented in the public domain; however, they are short of the foundation necessary to establish a credible case for cyberbullying, incitement, insulting, or abusive language. And that is the reason I'm writing this essay, demanding Abuja's intervention before Sokoto stones her to death.

It is not a crime to organise a peaceful protest. But kidnapping, attempted murder, and extrajudicial punishment are crimes. Those responsible for attacking Hamdiyya must be brought to justice and not protected by silence and religious impunity.

Given the dangerous religious climate in Sokoto State, urgent action is needed to protect Hamdiyya. Her life is in imminent danger. If nothing is done, she may be killed, and as with Deborah, nothing may happen afterwards.

We call on the Inspector General of Police, the Minister of Interior, and the Attorney General of the Federation to act immediately. Hamdiyya Sidi Sharif must be granted protection and safe passage out of Nigeria before it's too late.

Thank you, and may God bless Nigeria

Barr Alex Ehi Aidaghese

Lagos, Nigeria

May 24, 2025.