A Sokoto Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Guiwa low cost on Friday adjourned the case of Hamdiyya Sidi, an 18-year-old social media activist accused of incitement, to March 13th and 14th for further hearings.
The presiding Judge, Chief Magistrate Faruk Umar, made the decision after Police Prosecutor Inspector Khalid Musa presented evidence from an investigation conducted by Investigation Police Officer Tukur Abdulhadi.
Sidi, the social media activist, faces charges of circulating false content that allegedly incited disturbances on social media, including a video clip accusing authorities of negligence to banditry in Sabon Birnin Daji and other areas of Sokoto State.
In the video, it was claimed that bandits constantly abduct people and demand huge ransoms from communities without concern from the constituted authorities.
At the initial hearing, the police prosecutor argued that the offense violated the penal code, while Sidi denied the allegations.
At the resumed hearing, IPO Abdulhadi testified that he had obtained the accused’s statement, which was submitted as evidence on a flash drive and in a translated version. In cross-examination, Sidi’s defense counsel, Mustapha Danjuma, questioned Abdulhadi, who admitted that the statement was taken without the presence of the accused’s legal representative.
After a heated argument between the defense counsel and the prosecuting police officer, the case was adjourned for further hearing to the 13th and 14th of March, and the accused was allowed to enjoy the bail previously granted by the court.
Amnesty International and other international organizations have called on authorities to ensure transparency and impartiality in the investigation of alleged threats against Hamdiyya Sidi and her counsel, Abba Hikima.
According to a source, a defendant, Hamdiyya Sidi, failed to appear in court during the trial because of a threat to his personality.
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