A claim that a Sokoto magistrate court has sentenced 18-year-old activist, Hamdiyya Sidi, to 12 strokes of the cane or a two-year prison term, or to pay a fine of N50,000 has surfaced online.
The claim has been widely circulated on X (formerly Twitter), blogs, and Facebook posts.
For instance, a Facebook account, Africom posted the claim with a caption that read:
CLAIM
A Sokoto magistrate court has sentenced Hamdiyya Sidi to 12 strokes of the cane, or two years in prison, or to pay a N50,000 fine.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
In November 2024, Hamdiyya Sidi published a video criticising Sokoto State governor, Ahmed Aliyu, over insecurity and the plight of displaced persons in the state. She also called on internally displaced people to occupy the governor’s office in protest.
Following her remarks, the Sokoto State Police Command arrested her and accused her of making inciting statements and using abusive language. After her release on bail, she reportedly suffered physical attacks, including abduction and assault, which left her with serious injuries.
She later issued a public apology and retracted her statement urging IDPs to occupy government property.
In February 2025, Sidi was arraigned before a Sokoto magistrate court. Prosecutors accused her of circulating content capable of causing public unrest.
The last update on the case showed that it was been adjourned to March 13 and 14, but no public record has confirmed any ruling or judgement as of the time of this report.
The FactCheckHub also found a video released by Sidi and her lawyer, Abba Hikima where they debunked the viral story.
In the video, which was posted on Facebook in Hausa language by her lawyer, Sidi said:
“No ruling has been made. We are still continuing with the Sharia proceedings as we have always done from the beginning… Today’s session was when we started presenting witnesses under my lawyer’s guidance. So, there’s no judgement. To those spreading these false stories, I urge you to fear Allah and stop spreading things that are not true.”
News Central TV also reported on April 10, 2025 that Abba Hikima, the lead counsel for Hamdiyya Sidi Shareef — the young woman arrested over a critical TikTok video targeting Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu — has dismissed circulating social media claims suggesting that his client has been sentenced.
Our fact-checker observed that there were no credible media reports or court documents confirming that Sidi has been sentenced. Neither has the Sokoto judiciary nor relevant authorities released any statement indicating that a ruling has been delivered in her case.
THE VERDICT
The claim that a Sokoto magistrate court sentenced Hamdiyya Sidi to 12 strokes of the cane, or two years in prison, or a N50,000 fine is FALSE; findings show that no such ruling has been made on her case, which is still ongoing in court as of the time of filing this fact-check.
Republished from the Factcheckhub.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.