Kaduna journalist released on bail after court overturns conviction

Farida Isiak, a 23-year-old journalist, has been granted bail. She was arrested with her parents over a charcoal sale issue in Kaduna State. A court set aside her earlier conviction and allowed her to plead again.

Her lawyer, Mukhtar Abubakar, challenged the court process that led to her conviction. He argued that she had pleaded guilty without a lawyer and did not understand what her plea meant.

Reports say that Usman Adamu, the divisional police officer (DPO) in Mararaban Jos, arrested Farida on 20 October. This happened after she criticized the police on Facebook for detaining her parents. The dispute was about N100 change from a charcoal sale between her mother and a neighbour.

Family sources said that after Farida's arrest, police forced her to delete her post and apologize to the DPO. They accused her of defamation. The police took her to a Sharia court in Kawo on 21 October and quickly sentenced her without a lawyer. This violated her right to a fair hearing.

After her release, Farida told PREMIUM TIMES that she confirmed to the court that she wrote the deleted Facebook post. The judge, Aliyu Adamu, sentenced her to four years in prison or a fine of N1.750 million naira.

Amnesty International Nigeria condemned her arrest and sentencing. They called it "vindictive" and said the police used her parents' detention to force her to report to the station because of her Facebook post.

The organization said the four-year sentence or N1.75 million fine came after a "sham trial". They demanded that the charges be dropped and that those police officers involved be investigated.

Later, the court set aside Farida's conviction after her lawyer raised concerns about the court process. Farida pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail. Her case is now adjourned until 3 November.

Mr Abubakar explained that he arrived at the court while plans were being made to send Farida to a correctional facility after her conviction. He said that she had been tried and convicted before the legal team arrived.

"We immediately intervened and halted the process because she had been tried and convicted without a lawyer present," he said. He added that they argued she did not fully understand the court process or the meaning of her guilty plea.

Mr Abubakar said they informed the court that a lawyer was on the way, but the proceedings continued without them. "We argued that this raised serious concerns about her right to a fair hearing," he said.

The prosecutor finally agreed that there were reasons for the court to rethink the case. The legal team then asked the court to set aside the previous proceedings and allow Farida to enter a new plea.

The court accepted their request, overturned the earlier decision, and let Farida plead again. The lawyer focused on stopping her transfer to a correctional facility before resolving her conviction.

Mr Abubakar said they eventually secured her release on bail. Under the bail conditions, her father and relatives must serve as sureties to ensure she appears at future court dates.

"The bail conditions are not too much. Her father and relatives will ensure she attends court," he said. He added that the case will now go through the regular trial process, with the prosecution expected to present its evidence at the next hearing.

Mr Abubakar criticized the police for their actions. He said, "The police acted unprofessionally and failed to maintain peace. Instead of calming down a dispute over N100, they made it worse, turning a small issue into a major problem."

He also noted that those who should keep peace ended up worsening the situation. Amnesty International called for the charges against Farida to be dropped and for an independent investigation into the police officers involved in her family's detention.