Amnesty International has condemned the arrest and four-year prison sentence imposed on Farida Isiak, a 23-year-old journalist with Nagarta Radio in Kaduna.
The amnesty said the sentence was an attempt to silence her over allegations of police misconduct.
In a statement on Wednesday, the human rights organisation called for her immediate release, the withdrawal of charges against her and the cancellation of the N1.75 million fine imposed by the court.
According to the organisation, officers under the command of the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos, Usman Adamu, took Ms Isiak into custody around 10:00 p.m. on Monday.
“The situation began as a minor disagreement between her mother and a neighbour over a N100 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,” Amnesty International said.
It added that when Ms Isiak arrived at the station, officers accused her of defaming them because of a Facebook post she wrote criticising their unlawful treatment of her parents.
“Even though she complied with police demands to delete the post and apologise 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 N1.75 million on charges of defamation, completely ignoring the initial police misconduct and the abusive actions that led to the incident,” Amnesty stated.
It explained that the arrest, detention, and hasty sentencing of Ms Isiak were a flagrant abuse of power by the police and weaponisation 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,” the rights organisation said.
Amnesty called on police command in Kaduna and Nigerian judicial authorities to drop all charges and cancel the fine imposed on her.
Peoples Gazette has contacted Anietie Iniedu, the force spokesperson, for comment.
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