KADUNA, NIGERIA — A fierce digital and civic campaign demanding the immediate release of Victor Solomon, a 34-year-old local folk hero popularly known as “Zidane,” has gained significant international traction. The developments follow a highly controversial judgment delivered by the Kaduna State High Court, which sentenced the Southern Kaduna native to death by hanging.
Civic groups, Christian organizations, and grassroots advocates are strongly condemning the verdict, arguing that Solomon is being punished for exercising his fundamental right to communal self-defense during the prolonged, bloody ethno-religious attacks that devastated the Adara Christian majority communities in Kajuru Local Government Area.
The Arrest and a Tale of Two Cross-Trials
Victor Solomon, a charismatic local figure from Kasuwan Magani, earned the nickname “Zidane” from his peers while volunteering to defend his community against heavily armed militia raids between 2018 and 2020. He was arrested by military operatives in April 2020 following a manhunt, during which he was shot in the leg, allegedly tortured during months of military detention, and subsequently handed over to the police.
VICTOR SOLOMON (ZIDANE) CASE MATRIX
┌─────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ COMMUNITY / IDENTITY │ • Adara tribal Christian, Kasuwan Magani, │
│ │ Southern Kaduna. │
├─────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ FIRST TRIAL OUTCOME │ • Charge No. KDH/KAD/73C/2020: Discharged and │
│ │ acquitted of firearms charges in 2024.│
├─────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SECOND TRIAL OUTCOME │ • Charge No. KDH/KAD/78C/2020: Sentenced to │
│ │ death by hanging on Jan 6, 2026. │
├─────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ CURRENT LOCKDOWN STATUS │ • Secretly transferred out of Kaduna prison │
│ │ to Jos Prison facility. │
└─────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Solomon’s legal team, led by Barrister Mark Jacob, has slammed the prosecution as a coordinated “miscarriage of justice” orchestrated via double-jeopardy tactics. While Solomon was fully discharged and acquitted in May 2024 on initial charges bordering on firearms possession and attempted homicide under one High Court, the state government aggressively pursued a parallel capital offense trial under a different judge.
On January 6, 2026, Justice Ladan Munir of Kaduna High Court 4 sentenced “Zidane” to death by hanging for culpable homicide.
Secret Dawn Prison Transfer Sparks Fears
The public outcry intensified heavily following revelations that prison authorities quietly moved Solomon out of the Kaduna Custodial Center.
According to prison insiders, wardens entered Solomon’s cell at 4:00 AM, forcing him out without his personal belongings, shoes, or prior notice to his legal counsel and family. Independent investigative trackers later located “Zidane” inside the maximum-security parameters of the Jos Prison facility in neighboring Plateau State.
The secret transfer has sparked immense anxiety among his relatives, including his wife, Comfort Victor, who has spent the last six years single-handedly raising their two young sons via subsistence farming while her husband moved through different detention facilities.
State Government Defends Capital Verdict
In a swift press brief aimed at dousing mounting tensions, the Kaduna State Government has firmly pushed back against the “Free Zidane” campaigns, labeling the online protests as dangerous misinformation.
The State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, James Kanyip, issued a statement clarifying that the judicial process was transparent and lawful:
“The conviction was not arbitrary or politically motivated. It followed due process, a full trial, and judicial evaluation of facts and evidence. Victor Solomon faced two separate criminal trials before two different High Courts over distinct offences involving different victims. He was acquitted in one case in 2024, but lawfully convicted in another based on the evidence.”
— James Kanyip, Kaduna State Attorney-General
Furthermore, the State Commissioner for Information, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, warned that public speculation and the spread of half-truths regarding sensitive judicial matters pose a direct threat to public order in religiously polarized zones.
With the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) and defense attorneys preparing to escalate the matter to the Court of Appeal, the fate of Southern Kaduna’s volunteer defender now hangs completely on whether higher judicial benches will uphold the state’s conviction or rule in favor of the community’s right to survival.
247ureports.com will continue to monitor the appellate filings and security reactions surrounding the Zidane case.
