Victor Solomon, known as Zidane, received a death sentence by hanging from a Kaduna High Court for killing an attacker while protecting his Adara community from Fulani terrorists in 2018.
The ruling by the court, delivered recently, ignited fierce outrage across social media and among human rights advocates.
Activists and residents describe the verdict as a glaring miscarriage of justice, especially since one Kaduna court previously acquitted Solomon on the same murder charge, while another—reportedly presided over by a Muslim judge—convicted and condemned him.
Solomon defended his people during repeated assaults by armed Fulani herders, who have terrorized Christian farming communities in southern Kaduna for years.
These clashes, often framed as land disputes laced with ethnic and religious tensions, claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands since 2010.
In 2018, militants attacked the Adara area, prompting Solomon and others to fight back in self-defense.
Despite the acquittal in one proceeding, authorities rearrested and retried him.
The conflicting verdicts highlight deep concerns over judicial consistency and bias in Nigeria’s Middle Belt conflict zones.
Similar cases, such as Adamawa farmer Sunday Jackson—who faced death for killing a herder on his land but received a pardon in late 2025—underscore a troubling pattern where self-defense against herder attacks leads to severe punishment for victims or defenders.
Public reaction exploded online with the hashtag #FreeZidaneNow trending rapidly.
Thousands of posts demand immediate intervention, with many tagging international figures and accusing the system of rewarding attackers while punishing those who resist.
Community leaders and rights groups call for Governor Uba Sani to review the case urgently and for higher courts to overturn the sentence.
This decision arrives amid escalating violence in southern Kaduna.
Recent reports document dozens killed and over a hundred kidnapped in late 2025 and early 2026, with communities petitioning authorities for protection.
Broader regional dynamics fuel fears of persecution, as international observers like Genocide Watch classify aspects of the farmer-herder crisis as targeted violence against Christians.
Advocates insist Solomon acted to save lives in a region where security forces often fail to intervene.
They urge swift action to prevent execution and address systemic failures that leave vulnerable communities defenseless.
As pressure mounts, many hope the case sparks meaningful reform in how Nigeria handles self-defense amid ongoing communal strife.
