Kaduna High Court Sentences Community Defender to Death, Sparks Legal and Human Rights Concerns
TEC News|8th January, 2026.
A Kaduna State High Court has reportedly sentenced Victor Solomon, popularly known as Zidane, to death by hanging for murder, a development that has triggered widespread reactions and renewed debate over self-defence, double jeopardy, and judicial integrity in Nigeria.
The development was disclosed in a Facebook post that has since gone viral. According to the post, Zidane was arrested in 2018 during the administration of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, following violent attacks on the Adara community, which the post described as Fulani terrorist assaults. Zidane was said to have been involved in efforts to defend his community during the attacks.
The post further alleged that Zidane was charged with murder in two different State High Courts over the same incident. While one court reportedly acquitted him of the charge, another court has now convicted and sentenced him to death, raising serious legal and constitutional questions.
Legal experts note that charging an individual for the same offence in two courts of coordinate jurisdiction may amount to double jeopardy, which is prohibited under Nigerian law. Section 36(9) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that no person who has been tried and either convicted or acquitted shall again be tried for the same offence.
The author of the Facebook post also claimed to have visited Zidane at the Kaduna Correctional Centre in October 2025, where the condemned man reportedly expressed confidence that the second court would acquit him, having already been cleared by another court on the same charge.
The case has reignited public discourse on alleged judicial compromise, the handling of self-defence cases in conflict-prone communities, and concerns over religious or ethnic bias within the justice system. However, these allegations remain claims and have not been independently verified at the time of filing this report.
Calls are now growing from activists and concerned citizens for authorities to review the case, clarify the circumstances surrounding the dual trials, and ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done.
As of press time, neither the Kaduna State Judiciary nor relevant government authorities have issued an official statement on the matter.
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