Amnesty International has condemned the arrest, detention and sentencing of 23-year-old journalist Farida Isiak in Kaduna State, describing the punishment as vindictive and an attempt to silence critical reporting.

The organisation called for her immediate release, the withdrawal of the charges against her and the cancellation of the ₦1.75 million fine imposed by a Sharia Court in Kawo, Kaduna.

Isiak, a reporter with Nagarta Radio in Kaduna, was reportedly arrested around 10 p.m. on Monday, October 20, by police officers under the command of the Divisional Police Officer of Mararaban Jos, Usman Adamu.

According to Amnesty International, the incident stemmed from a disagreement between Isiak’s mother and a neighbour over ₦100 change during a charcoal sale.

Police officers allegedly arrested her mother and subsequently detained her father when he visited the station to secure her release.

The organisation said the journalist’s parents were allegedly held to compel her to report to the police station.

Upon her arrival, Isiak was accused of defaming police officers in a Facebook post criticising their alleged treatment of her parents.

Amnesty International said she deleted the post and apologised in an attempt to secure her parents’ release, but was nevertheless detained and taken before a Sharia Court in Kawo.

The court sentenced her to four years’ imprisonment, with an option of a ₦1.75 million fine, on a defamation charge.

Amnesty International described the proceedings as a sham trial, alleging that the court failed to address the circumstances surrounding the initial police action and the treatment of the journalist’s family.

The organisation said the arrest and sentencing amounted to an abuse of power and raised serious concerns about the use of the judicial system to intimidate journalists and suppress freedom of expression.

It further condemned the alleged detention of Isiak’s parents as a means of compelling her to surrender to the police, describing the tactic as incompatible with the rule of law.

Amnesty International urged the Kaduna State Police Command and the relevant judicial authorities to secure Isiak’s immediate release, drop the charges and overturn the financial penalty.

It also called on the Nigeria Police Force to conduct a full and independent investigation into the conduct of the officers involved in the incident.

The organisation warned Nigerian authorities against using defamation allegations and legal proceedings to harass journalists, stressing the need to protect press freedom and the right to demand accountability from public institutions.