By Zainab Suleiman Okino
In the face of unimaginable adversity, Alice Loksha and Ganiyat Popoola’s unbroken spirits shine like beacons of hope. Alice was a nurse working with UNICEF when she was kidnapped by Boko Haram militants in March 2018 in Rann, Borno State. The attack occurred at an Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camp where she was providing humanitarian assistance. During the same attack, two other aid workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – Hauwa Liman and Saifura Ahmed Khorsa were also kidnapped. Sadly, both ICRC workers were later killed by their captors.
Alice’s story came back to the limelight recently after her escape to Geidam on October 24, 2024. She returned with a child, after being forced to marry a Boko Haram commander, named Abu Umar. After Abu Umar’s death, Alice was again forced into a marriage to an ISWAP leader, Abu Simak at Don Chuku camp, from where she eventually escaped. Theatre commander of the Joint Task force of Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East, represented by Kenneth Chigbu revealed how Fayina Ali also escaped. Fayina was captured by Boko Haram in 2020 while travelling from Kaduna to process her late brother’s death benefits. She too escaped after over four years in captivity. “Both women have undergone traumatic experiences and have shown remarkable resilience in the face of adversity,” Chigbu noted.
Alice’s case highlighted the extreme risks faced by humanitarian workers in conflict zones, particularly in the North-East where Boko Haram has been active and drew international attention to the broader issue of aid workers’ safety in crisis regions.
Dr. Ganiyat Popoola was an eye specialist working at the National Eye Centre in Kaduna state. She was abducted from her residence at the National Eye Centre staff quarters in Kaduna around February 2024. Her abduction caused significant concern within Nigeria’s medical community and highlighted the ongoing security challenges faced by healthcare workers in the country. After many protests by her colleagues calling the attention of the authorities to her plight. She was finally released to her distraught family last week.
Dr Ganiya’s case drew attention to the broader issue of security for medical professionals in Nigeria, particularly those working in public institutions, and led to calls for improved security measures at medical facilities and staff quarters. Healthcare and education are targets of insurgents and bandits. Mass school attacks, abduction of students like the cases of Chibok girls, Buni Yadi, Babtist students, the Islamiyya school in Niger state, Federal University, Gusau, FGC in Birni Kebbi is a few of such examples.
According to a report published by Punch newspaper as obtained from Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, September this year, 109 health workers were kidnapped and 17 killed between 2019 and 2023. The “kidnapping epidemic” has crippled hospital services and contributed to the unprecedented japa (brain drain) syndrome of the last few years. For the North in particular, these ladies’ plight is symptomatic of the region’s decadence and disdain for things that matter most to mankind—health and education. Maternal health and girl-child education are debilitating challenges requiring proactive intervention by governments and communities, but insurgency and banditry have further exacerbated these challenges. Additionally, attacks on schools, kidnap of girls and female medical personnel can at best discourage undiscerning parents from educating their female children.
Yet, the trio’s struggles don’t end the travails. Hamdiyya Sidi, a young teenage girl was arrested recently by the Sokoto State Police command for incitement against the government. She was accused of telling people “To forcefully take over government properties in Wammako LG of Sokoto State, because “it belongs to them.” The Police said her incitement created “tension,” in the area and that she “confessed’ and was charged for “inciting disturbance.”
It sounds absurd that Police heap all these on an 18-year-old girl over her innocent appeal to the governor to stem the tide of violence against women and poor communities by armed men, only for them to politicise and criminalise her modest efforts. More tragic is the fact that she was reported by a community leader; a community she was advocating for. It says a lot about the complicity of the people themselves and the governor. And for them to be jittery about a young girl’s simple social media commentary on the menace everyone is experiencing shows their lack of empathy and readiness to confront the problem.
Saadatu Madaki, an activist explained what transpired in an interview with SaharaReporters, contrary to Sokoto Police’s narrative. “Hamdiyya Sidi was arrested, arraigned, then released on bail. She returned home and some hoodlums abducted and beat her, leading to injuries.” What a shame for those agents of government called hoodlums. The Sokoto police, whose constitutional duty is the protection of lives and property should be embarrassed for failing in their fundamental duties.
Hamdiyya is a symbol of courage and an affront on the silence that has enveloped our land. As she continues to face persecution simply for speaking truth to power about her community’s struggles, we all must rally round her to fight all cultural barriers and political exclusion of vulnerable persons. For the Sokoto state governor, Umar Ahmed, working in cahoots with Police to so harm (emotionally and physically) a defenceless lady, just for speaking out, is like killing a fly with a sledgehammer. He should have a rethink.
Luckily for us we still have in our midst, courageous individuals and groups advocating for justice, equity and fair treatment for all genders irrespective of their social status or geographical location. Taking the gauntlet for this purpose is Voices for Inclusion and Equity (VIEW), a “coalition committed to fostering equitable, inclusive, and just societies.”
The group challenged Governor Aliyu Ahmed on the propriety of protecting and supporting women against violence orchestrated by armed groups, which has become the lot of all communities under siege in the North. Abduction, rape and terror unleashed on the poor and vulnerable women are taking their tolls on them.
“Hamdiyya spoke for millions who live in fear, those whose pleas have been ignored time and time again. Her arrest sends a chilling message: that in Sokoto, those in power are more interested in suppressing dissent than in protecting their people. It tells Northern women that their lives, their safety, and their voices are less important than the comfort of those who hold office. Why should a woman be detained and beaten up for speaking a painful truth? She did not curse, she did not threaten, and she did not incite violence; she asked a simple question…
“In any just society, a woman has the right to speak out against the conditions that threaten her life and dignity. Northern women deserve this right to speak out, without fear of violence or retribution. Their demands should flow naturally as a right, not a privilege. This is not just about woman’s freedom but about the rights of all women who refuse to be silenced in the face of brutality”. The group challenged the governor to “publicly denounce the treatment accorded this courageous young lady, in recognition of his responsibility and leadership role to protect his citizens.” This has become imperative, because demanding purposeful leadership is not an offence.
As a matter of fact, Alice, Ganiya, and Mandiyya’s travails, journeys and doggedness serve as a testament to the strength and determination of women in the face of oppression; they remain unwavering. By this, they are inspiring countless others to stand up against injustice. In their stories there are lessons of resilience, courage and empathy.
Zainab Suleiman Okino chairs Blueprint Editorial Board. She is a syndicated columnist and can be reached via: zainabokino@gmail.com
