Human rights watchdog Amnesty International Nigeria has issued a strong demand for the immediate and unconditional release of 23-year-old journalist Farida Isiak, following her conviction and sentencing by a Magistrate Court in Kaduna State over a social media post criticising local police conduct.
​The ruling, delivered in Kaduna, handed down a four-year prison sentence or an option of a ₦1.75 million fine to the young journalist.
​The case stems from an incident in which Farida Isiak’s parents were detained by officers of the Nigeria Police Force in Kaduna following a dispute involving the sale of charcoal. In response to her parents’ detention, Isiak published a post on her Facebook page criticizing the conduct and handling of the matter by the police officers involved.
​According to rights monitors, police officers subsequently detained her parents further to compel Isiak to present herself at the police station, leading to her swift arrest, prosecution, and sentencing within a 24-hour period.
​In an official statement released on October 21, 2026, Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the judicial action as a vindictive abuse of power aimed at silencing free speech and intimidating journalists.
​”The arrest, detention, and hasty sentencing of Farida Isiak over a Facebook post criticising police conduct is vindictive, unjust, and a clear attempt to silence dissent. Expressing an opinion on the actions of public officials is not a crime under Nigerian law,” Amnesty International stated.
​Prominent political figures and civil rights activists have also publicly condemned the conviction. Omoyele Sowore, activist and former presidential candidate, described the trial as a “farcical judicial perfidy” and a direct assault on press freedom.
​”Using the Nigeria Police Force to intimidate, arrest, and prosecute a journalist merely for expressing her views or speaking freely is an outrageous abuse of state power,” Sowore stated on Thursday morning. “The conviction must be urgently overturned through the appropriate legal process so that Farida can regain her freedom.”
​Following intense public outcry and immediate legal interventions by rights advocates in Kaduna, a higher court subsequently set aside the initial conviction, granting Farida Isiak bail and permitting her to enter a fresh plea as legal proceedings continue. Rights groups continue to demand that all charges against her be completely dropped.
