By BANNERNEWS Reporter
A coalition of youth groups from the Middle Belt, South-East, South-West and South-South regions has called for an independent review of the death sentence handed to Victor Solomon, popularly known as “Zidane,” describing the case as a major test of justice and human rights in Nigeria.
The demand was made at an international press conference in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, on Thursday under the theme, “A Life Hangs in the Balance: The Case of Victor Solomon and the Imperative of Justice in Southern Kaduna.”
The coalition comprises the Middle Belt Youth Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing, Afenifere Youth and PANDEF Youth.
Addressing journalists, Kaduna State Chairman of the Middle Belt Youth Forum, Comrade Samuel Wuya, said the groups were speaking not as political or ethnic organisations but as “citizens of conscience” concerned about fairness, due process and the sanctity of human life.
Solomon, a member of the Adara community in Southern Kaduna, was sentenced to death by hanging by a Kaduna State High Court on January 6, 2026, over offences linked to violent communal clashes in Kajuru Local Government Area.
The coalition noted that Solomon had earlier been discharged and acquitted in another case involving criminal conspiracy and attempted culpable homicide in May 2024, but was later convicted in a separate matter bordering on conspiracy, grievous harm and culpable homicide.
Although the Kaduna State Government, through the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, James Kanyip, insisted that the two cases were distinct and handled in line with due process, the groups said concerns remained over the wider context of the trial and the prolonged communal crisis in Southern Kaduna.
They argued that years of violence, displacement and unresolved attacks in the area required any death sentence arising from the conflict to be subjected to “the highest standards of scrutiny and transparency.”
The coalition called on Governor Uba Sani to grant a stay of execution pending an independent review of the case.
The groups also urged the judiciary to ensure fairness during the appeal process and appealed to the Federal Government, the National Human Rights Commission, the United Nations and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to closely monitor the matter.
According to the coalition, the case has grown beyond an individual trial and now represents the broader struggle for justice, accountability and peaceful coexistence in conflict-affected communities across Nigeria.
