A CHILD’S BODY SCORCHED, HER SPIRIT BROKEN – FIDA NIGERIA DEMANDS JUSTICE FOR BASHARIYA

She is just 14 years old. A child.
Her name is Bashariya—but today, she represents countless Nigerian children whose innocence is violently snatched away behind closed doors, shielded by power, silenced by fear.

FIDA Nigeria has received with deep sorrow yet fury, the disturbing report of the case of Bashariya, a young girl displaced by the horrors of banditry in Zamfara.

Forced by circumstances beyond her control, her family took shelter in a displacement camp in Gwiwa Eka, Sokoto State seeking refuge from violence. But little did they know that tragedy would follow her to what should have been a place of safety and refuge.

She was allegedly taken to Abuja (by one Mrs. Fauziya, wife of a sitting Judge in Sokoto), to work as a maid in circumstances that can be allegedly described as child labour/ trafficking.

And what followed was nothing short of torture, as she was allegedly forced to labour under very harsh conditions:
• She was starved.
• Beaten without mercy.
• And in an act so cruel it defies comprehension—she was bathed with fire.

Let that sink in: A 14-year-old girl was burned as punishment.

Today, her small body bears the scars of this wickedness. Her spirit, shattered. Her trust in adults, broken. She is now back in the IDP camp, not with relief—but fully traumatized, fearful of everything around her and silence hanging over her like a dark cloud.
Yet we have protective laws that guarantee her rights; Yet we see her alleged abuser, emboldened by proximity to power, while her family is fearful having been warned not to dare report the crime as “Nothing will happen. We are the highest authority,” her perpetrator reportedly bragged.

But today, we say: Something SHALL happen.

FIDA Nigeria is enraged, and we SHALL not be silent.

OUR DEMANDS ARE CLEAR:

1. A thorough investigation of this case including the immediate arrest and diligent prosecution of all person’s involved in this matter, No immunity; No cover-up; No delay.
2. Urgent full medical (physical and psychological….) attention/ treatment including proper rehabilitation for Bashariya through a trauma-informed approach.
3. Protective Custody and full legal support for the family, to ensure their safety and access to justice.

We call on the relevant authorities to fully implement the Child Rights Act and VAPP Act.

THIS IS BIGGER THAN ONE CHILD.
This is about the system that allows vulnerable children to be exploited and brutalized without consequence. It is about the dangerous silence that protects abusers when they wear fine robes and occupy respected offices.

We must draw the line.
If Bashariya—poor, displaced, voiceless—cannot get justice, then every child in Nigeria is at risk.
FIDA Nigeria is calling on the Ministry of Women Affairs, NAPTIP, Nigeria Police Force, the National Human Rights Commission, and all relevant agencies to treat this case as a national emergency.

TO THE PUBLIC:
Let us not scroll past her pain.
Let us not wait until the next child is burned.
Together let us speak out and Demand Justice.
Share her story. Raise your voice.

Bashariya’s scars are visible. But countless others suffer in silence around us. If we do nothing, we are complicit. Let’s do something.

IN CONCLUSION:
We owe Bashariya more than sympathy.
We owe her justice.
We owe her healing.
We owe her safety from those who think their power makes them untouchable.

Let the law speak loud and clear.
Let the system prove that it works for every Nigerian child—especially the most vulnerable.

Justice must come. And it must come swiftly.

Signed,
FIDA Nigeria

Eliana Martins
Country Vice President
FIDA Nigeria

Chineze Obianyo
National Publicity Secretary
FIDA Nigeria