Amnesty International welcomes the release of journalist
Farida Isiak is on bail. She was sentenced by a shari’a court in Kawo Kaduna simply for a social media post on violations by the police division at Mararaba Kaduna. The 23-year-old journalist was released yesterday evening.
Farida Isiak, a reporter with Nagarta Radio in Kaduna, was arrested and detained around 10:00 p.m. on Monday, 20 October, by officers under the command of the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos, Usman Adamu.
She was hastily arraigned before a sharia court and sentenced to 4–years in prison with an option of N1.7 million fine. The fact that the trial is set to continue on 3 November 2026 shows she is being punished for being outspoken.
The Nigerian authorities must drop charges against her and end the sham trial. Clearly, police are weaponizing the judicial system to punish Farida Isiak, instead of following due process of law.
Amnesty International