The Amnesty International (AI) that we have known for many years used to be a credible, independent, global non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of human rights, justice, and equality.
Founded in London in 1961, and now supported by over 10 million volunteers in 150 countries, AI is often praised for speaking up against the violation of rights, regardless of race, nationality, language, religion, or any other status.
But it has caught the virus of the very objective it set out to fight. It has become the hallmark of AI to make far reaching conclusions without painstaking investigation and fair hearing, leading to factually wrong and misleading reports.
AI can in fact be described as a propaganda organisation for their notoriety in raising false alarms. Amnesty International has promoted an intense anti-Sokoto state campaign with one sided reports based on hearsay and unsubstantiated statements from the Tureta Shafi’u to Hamdiyya Sidi matter, it has been conviction without fair trial.
The recent incident in Sokoto state, involving the police and a young woman known as Hamdiyya Sidi, shows clearly that even a reputable organisation can be guilty of distortion of facts and misinformation. This could be the result of inexperience, non-adherence to the rules of engagement, or the sheer mischief of a compromised individual operative. For whatever reason, our beloved Amnesty International evidently misfired by backing the wrong horse in the Nigeria Police Force versus Hamdiyya legal tussle, and going on to tarnish the shining image of Governor Ahmed Aliyu who was in no way connected with the matter.
Indeed, human rights organizations like AI frequently get carried away by their sense of messianic role, such that they begin to breach the very principles they seek to protect. Uncanny activists sometimes become guns for hire, by allowing themselves to be bought and used as pawns in the chessboard of dirty politics, social intrigues, or economic conflicts.
No one doubts the fact that Amnesty International continues to enjoy a measure of respect, even admiration, for its principled opposition against discrimination, torture, executions, human trafficking, and all sorts of mistreatments of persons in all countries. Tyrants ban their operation, as we see in places ruled by maximum leaders who abhor democracy and the freedom of the human soul.
All the same, the Sokoto experience has shown that Amnesty International’s field operatives can become turncoats and work against the rule of law, the very foundation of all human rights and a free society. When human rights advocates goof, or unwittingly become propagandists they act in a way that contradicts the lofty objectives and noble mission of their organisation.
Let us take a closer look at the Hamdiyya Sidi Sharif episode. This young woman is standing trial before a sharia court in Achida town, Wurno local government area of Sokoto state for alleged attempt to breach public peace. The police prosecutor said Hamdiyya was arrested for “inciting women against the government by telling them to forcefully take over government properties.”
According to the police, the village head of Sabon Birnin Daji in Wurno reported that Hamdiyya had sought his permission to speak to the women in the town about a matter of urgent importance to their welfare. She had claimed to represent a charity organisation that supports women and youths. On assembling the women, Hamdiyya proceeded to make inflammatory and uncomplimentary statements about the government of Sokoto state. She claimed, among other falsehoods, that Governor Aliyu was negligent and totally unconcerned about the insecurity in parts of the state. She allegedly proposed that the governor would have showed more seriousness to provide security if his wife and children were kidnapped, violated or killed.
According to the police, the irate Hamdiyya strayed to the point of instigating the women to invade and forcefully occupy government properties in the area, insisting that such properties belonged to them by right. She proceeded to post her inciting speeches on social media for more effect and to further the demonisation of the governor for which she was allegedly paid by the opposition.
Alarmed by the turn of events, and desiring to prevent the breakdown of law and order in the area, the village head of Sabon Birnin Daji reported the disruptive conduct of Hamdiyya Sidi to the police. She was arrested and charged to court within 24 hours, according to a press statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Sokoto Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufai.
From the foregoing factual and verifiable account of what transpired at the village it is regrettable and uncharitable that a reputable organisation like Amnesty International could be misled into viewing the lawful arrest and due prosecution of Hamdiyya Sidi as a case of gross violation of human right. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The suspect duly confessed to the offence of inciting the public to violence and instigating the people against constituted authorities, offences that are known to law and punishable by it. She was neither tortured by the police, nor unduly held in detention. It would, therefore, amount to gross distortion of facts, and a disservice to the public, for anyone to bring a charge of human rights violations against the police for a diligent discharge of their constitutional duties.
A young adult who worked assiduously to instigate public disturbances, incite the people against constituted authorities, with the goal to precipitate violence in the community, should be made to have her day in court. Her misconduct is not covered by the right to free speech. Indeed, no freedom is absolute. As we say, your freedom to swing your hands must stop in front of my nose. When your swinging hands hit my face, there could be dire consequences. In the same vein, the right to free speech does not permit the Hamdiyyas of this world to freely advocate violent disruption of social or community life.
There is absolutely no justification for her outburst especially as the governor is known to be alive to his responsibilities far above the duties imposed on him by the constitution.
It is not Amnesty International that hereby stands accused of malicious distortion and tendacious misrepresentation of facts. The fault lies with the individual who filed the jaundiced report, and who went ahead to malign the name and person of Governor Aliyu, obviously, for political reasons. Let it be on record that the governor did not issue any order for the arrest or mistreatment of Hamdiyya Sidi, or anyone else for that matter. The Police did not need gubernatorial approval to nab or prosecute an offender of the law, nor is it the constitutional duty of the governor to get involved in any or every single activity of the state police command, which reports directly to the Police Headquarters in Abuja. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria places security in the exclusive domain of the central government, and the Sokoto state government cannot alter it.
Indeed, all lovers of human rights and justice, especially the right to speak freely according to conscience, would readily agree with the position of Amnesty International that: “Harassment and intimidation (of anyone including) Hamdiyya Sidi is unlawful and must end. Nobody’s life should be at risk on account of their holding an opinion or expressing the same in public. It is neither conceivable nor acceptable in a democracy, for elected governor to attempt to silence and punish a person in order “to create a climate of fear for people who want to express opinions critical of government”, but with a caveat; respect for laws.
It is grossly unfair for anyone to ascribe human right abuses to the amiable, urbane and thoroughbred democrat like Dr Ahmed Aliyu. The misguided operative who associated the governor with “frightening intolerance of dissenting voices through heavy handed clampdown on critics” needs to be examined for substance abuse. By impugning the impeccable character of Dr Aliyu, the misguided AI operative violated a vital article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the constitution of all true human rights activists. Article 10 of UDHR states “everyone has the right to a fair hearing”, while Article 11 complimentarily adds that “every suspect has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty”. The AI agent never made effort to engage the governor and, therefore, denied him his right to a fair hearing, but went ahead to take away his innocence when he had not been proved guilty.
Going forward, the Nigeria office of Amnesty International should closely monitor the activities of the operative responsible for the Sokoto state versus Hamdiyya Sidi legal tussle. If unchecked, he has the dubious capacity to destroy the positive image that the organisation has earned through decades of dispassionate adherence to the facts.
..Bala writes from Sokoto