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Saudatu Mahdi is the Women’s Right Advocate. She is the Secretary General of Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA). She has published over 20 books focusing on violence against women, women’s rights, Shari’a and women and women in education. Mahdi led the team that fought and won the acquittal for a Nigerian woman who was sentenced to death by hanging because she had a child out of wedlock.

Early life
Mahdi was born on 20th of April 1957 in Katsina State, Nigeria. In 1964, young Mahdi was sent to Kaduna Central Primary School, Kaduna and later St. Louis Primary School, Kano where she spent few years before leaving for Sacred Heart Primary School, Kaduna. In 1970, she proceeded to Queen Amina College in Kaduna.

Education
In 1978, she obtained her first from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and in 1992, she proceeded to the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) for a post graduate programme. She has several certificates in various fields such as in entrepreneurship, fiscal and financial management, human rights, advocacy and institution building. Mahdi is a fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration in Nigeria.

Career
She started her career as a classroom teacher before rising and in August 1989, she became the principal of the Government Girls Secondary School in Bauchi. On April 12, 1995, she was appointed Acting Registrar of the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi and held the position till November 11, 1998 before she voluntarily retired. She is currently the Secretary General of Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA).

Advocacy
Mahdi is one of the co-conveners of Bring Back Our Girls Advocacy Group in Nigeria. Mahdi worked with Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili; the Director General of Nigeria Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman; the Senior Special Adviser to Nigeria’s President, Maryam Uwais and several other activists to start the campaign for the return of the kidnapped school girls in Chibok Community, Borno State, Nigeria. The campaign led to the adoption of the hashtag across the world.

Mahdi and her organization’s legal team successfully fought for the freedom of  Amina Lawal Kurami who was accused of adultery and was sentenced to death by stoning  by the Katsina State Sharia court. Lawal had a baby girl in 2002 out of wedlock and the daughter was used as evidence of her adultery at the court.

In 2001, Mahdi and her legal team defended Safiyatu Hussaini who was convicted by the Upper Sharia Court in Gwadabawa, Sokoto State for adultery and sentenced to death by stoning.

Awards
On November 15, 2011, Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan conferred her with the National Honours Award Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR). The National Merit award was in recognition of her work in development, advocacy, human rights and defense of women.