Kaduna: Arrest and Hasty Sentencing of Journalist Farida Isiak is Vindictive

Amnesty International strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest, detention, and rushed sentencing of 23-year-old journalist Farida Isiak by authorities in Kaduna State. Her arrest and subsequent punishment were clearly because of her attempt to expose abuses by the police. Sentencing a journalist to 4-years in prison after a sham trial is a travesty of justice.

Farida Isiak, a reporter with Nagarta Radio in Kaduna, was taken into custody around 10:00 p.m. on Monday, 20 October, by officers under the command of the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos, Usman Adamu. The situation began as a minor disagreement between her mother and a neighbour over a 100 naira change dispute during a sale of charcoal. Police officers initially arrested her mother and later detained her father when he went to secure her release, using their detention as leverage to force Farida to come to the police station.

When Farida arrived at the station, police officers accused her of defaming them because of a Facebook post she wrote criticizing their unlawful treatment of her parents. Even though she complied with police demands to delete the post and apologize in the hope of securing her parents’ release, officers kept her in custody and rushed her to a Sharia Court in Kawo. The presiding judge sentenced her to four years in prison or a fine of 1.75 million naira on charges of defamation, completely ignoring the initial police misconduct and the abusive actions that led to the incident.

The arrest, detention, and hasty sentencing of Farida Isiak are a flagrant abuse of power by the police and weaponization of the judicial system to silence free speech and intimidate journalists. Arresting and holding a citizen’s parents to force a journalist to hand herself over is an unlawful tactic that violates rule of law. Demanding accountability for police actions is a constitutional right.

Amnesty International calls on the Kaduna State Police Command and Nigerian judicial authorities to immediately release Farida Isiak, drop all charges, and cancel the fine imposed on her. Nigeria Police Force must launched a full and independent investigation into the conduct of police officers involved in the unlawful detention of her family. Nigerian authorities must stop using defamation charges and the legal system to harass journalists and restrict press freedom.