By Luka Binniyat and Steven Kefas
(Jos) – Victor Solomon, popularly known as “Zidane,” an Adara tribal Christian folk hero sentenced to death in Kaduna on January 6, 2026, was secretly transferred from Kaduna prison without the knowledge of his family or legal team, before TruthNigeria exclusively traced him to Jos Prison, uncovering fresh details surrounding a deeply controversial trial that has continued to inflame public opinion.
As outrage spread across conventional media outlets, social media platforms and parts of Southern Kaduna following the Kaduna State Government’s defence of the death sentence passed on the Adara Christian volunteer guard, Zidane was quietly moved out of Kaduna prison penultimate Monday. Neither his relatives nor his lawyers were informed of the transfer, TruthNigeria can confirm.
Smuggled Out at Dawn
“He was woken up by 4 am by prison wardens who had opened the door of his cell and entered without notice,” said a Kaduna prison insider who asked for anonymity to protect her job.
“He was not allowed to take any of his belongings with him and he only had his trousers and a T-shirt. No shoes,” the source added.
The source further disclosed that Zidane was marched to the registry section at the Administration block of Kaduna prison where his records were retrieved and processed.
Transferred to Jos Prison
TruthNigeria was able to confirm that Victor Solomon was transferred to Jos Prison in Plateau State.
The secrecy surrounding the transfer has intensified public suspicion, especially given the heightened tension that followed the Kaduna State Government’s public justification of the death sentence.
The controversy deepened on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, after the state government issued a statement defending the capital punishment handed down on January 6, 2026, by Justice Ladan Munir of Kaduna State High Court 4.
Findings by TruthNigeria indicate that rather than calming public anger, the government’s intervention further inflamed outrage among Christian groups, civil society organisations and residents of Southern Kaduna.
Victor Solomon, a well-known Christian vigilante (volunteer community guard) in Kasuwan Magani town of Kajuru Local Government Area, was sentenced to death by hanging after spending nearly eight years in military, police and prison custody, according to his lawyer.
His conviction has drawn widespread condemnation from Christian organisations, human rights groups and sections of the Nigerian public who view the judgment as disproportionate and politically tainted.
Kasuwan Magani is a religiously polarized town, sharply divided between Christian and Muslim communities. It was the epicenter of deadly ethno-religious violence in 2018, during which dozens were feared killed and properties destroyed.
Solomon is regarded by many as a folk hero for his role in helping to defend Christian communities during that turbulent period.
Justice Ladan Munir’s judgment has since become one of the most contested court decisions in Kaduna State in recent years.
Kaduna High Court 4, presided over by Justice Munir, sentenced Solomon to death by hanging on January 6, 2026, following a trial that spanned several years. The ruling came despite the fact that Solomon had earlier been discharged and acquitted in a separate case arising from the same crisis.
While the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), human rights groups and prominent leaders of thought publicly rebuked the judgment and called for its reversal, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General, Barrister James Kanyip, issued a statement defending the sentence and dismissing claims of injustice or political interference.
Kaduna State Blames Misinformation for Protests
According to Kanyip, the public outrage was driven largely by misinformation and misunderstanding of legal procedures.
“There is no contradiction in the court outcomes being referenced online,” Kanyip said.
He explained that Solomon was tried in two distinct cases, stressing that his discharge and acquittal in one case did not invalidate his conviction in another.
“Victor Solomon was tried in two completely different cases. He was acquitted in one in 2024 but lawfully convicted in another in 2026 based on the evidence before the court,” the Attorney General stated.
Kanyip said the first case—Charge No. KDH/KAD/73C/2020—bordered on criminal conspiracy and attempted culpable homicide and ended with Solomon’s discharge and acquittal on May 21, 2024.
He added that the second case—Charge No. KDH/KAD/78C/2020—involved more serious offences, including criminal conspiracy, grievous harm without provocation and culpable homicide punishable with death under the Kaduna State Penal Code. That trial concluded in October 2025, with judgment delivered on January 6, 2026.
“The conviction was not arbitrary or politically motivated. It followed due process, a full trial and judicial evaluation of facts and evidence,” according to Kanyip.
He further noted that Solomon retains the constitutional right to appeal to higher courts.
Shocking Facts and Contradictions
The defence team, however, has presented a sharply contrasting narrative, describing the conviction as the climax of an eight-year miscarriage of justice marked by illegal detention, torture, contradictory charges and alleged ethno-religious bias under the administration of former Governor Nasir el-Rufai
Speaking exclusively to TruthNigeria on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, one of Solomon’s lawyers, D. D. Tabakwot, laid out a detailed chronology which he said exposes a “travesty of justice.”
According to Tabakwot, Solomon was arrested on March 7, 2019, not by the police but by officers of the Nigerian Army acting on the instruction of the Kaduna State Government. He was apprehended in Rimau village, an Adara community in Kasuwan Magani.
Crucially, Tabakwot stressed that Solomon was not initially arrested for murder or culpable homicide, but for allegedly inciting civil unrest in Kallah village.
Prolonged Detention and Torture
Tabakwot said Solomon was detained by the military for one year and three months without trial, a period he described as legally unjustifiable. During this time, he alleged, Solomon was subjected to severe torture to force a confession.
“He would not lie even for his freedom,” the lawyer said, adding that Solomon still suffers medical complications arising from the prolonged detention.
Military Finds No Evidence of Guilt
The defence claims that military documents attached to the proof of evidence support Solomon’s innocence. A handover letter allegedly signed by Col. A. A. Idris, alongside a report from a Military Intelligence Bureau officer at the 1st Division in Kaduna, reportedly stated that investigations could not establish Solomon’s culpability.
Despite this, Solomon was kept in military custody “on the instructions of the Kaduna State Government” until May 22, 2020, when he was handed over to the Kaduna State Police Command’s State Investigation Bureau.
Police Detention and Trumped-Up Charges
After his transfer, Solomon was reportedly detained by the police for another four months. Tabakwot said no witnesses initially came forward to implicate him.
Faced with the absence of evidence, the police filed what the defence described as a “trumped-up” charge of attempted culpable homicide under Sections 59 and 119 of the Kaduna State Penal Code.
This first case was eventually dismissed by Justice Darius Kobo of Kaduna State High Court 6, who discharged and acquitted Solomon.
A Second Charge Filed Mid-Trial
Tabakwot alleged that while the first case was still pending—and because the offences were bailable—the state hurriedly filed a second charge before a different court. This case was assigned to Justice Munir Ladan of High Court 4, Kaduna.
The lawyer argued that the second charge was deliberately designed to keep Solomon in custody and deny him the benefit of bail.
Contradictions in Prosecution’s Evidence
Central to the defense’s appeal are what it described as glaring contradictions in the prosecution’s case.
One of the most striking, Tabakwot said, concerns the date of the alleged killing. While the charge alleged that Solomon killed Iliyasu Mahamadu on April 10, 2018, a police wireless message attached to the proof of evidence reportedly stated that the corpse was recovered on March 29, 2018.
“How can you kill someone in the future?” Tabakwot queried.
The defence also maintained that Solomon raised an alibi which was never investigated by the police.
Tabakwot further alleged that Solomon was targeted because of his Christian faith and his role as a volunteer community guard.
He claimed that during the 2018 Kasuwan Magani crisis, both Christian and Muslim militia leaders were arrested, but while the Muslim suspect was released in 2018, Solomon remained in prolonged detention.
Conviction and Death Sentence
Despite these alleged contradictions, Justice Munir convicted Solomon and sentenced him to death by hanging.
Not Discharged and Acquitted Over the Same Case
Tabakwot insisted that Solomon was never discharged and acquitted over the same offence but was instead subjected to two concurrent charges before two different courts.
Plans to Appeal
Solomon’s legal team has vowed to appeal the judgment.
“We will appeal the decision with every fiber of energy in our being,” Tabakwot said.
Former Kaduna State Attorney General, Barrister Mark Jacob, described the judgment as persecution rather than prosecution, warning that it sends a dangerous signal to Christian youths defending their communities.
Former President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Hon. Jonathan Asake, told TruthNigeria that the ruling confirms that individuals who enabled what he described as former Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s tyranny against Christians remain entrenched within the system.
As the case heads to the appellate courts, Victor Solomon remains on death row in Jos Prison, his fate now resting on whether higher courts will interrogate the contradictions, delays and allegations that have come to define one of Kaduna State’s most controversial criminal trials.
— Luka Binniyat and Steven Kefas write for TruthNigeria from Kaduna and Jos on Politics and Conflicts.
