Nigeria | Blasphemy: Kano Muslim lawyers back death penalty on Kano musician, urges govt to comply

The Muslim Lawyers’ Association (MULAN), Kano branch says there was nothing wrong with the death penalty passed on Shariff Sharifai, a musician convicted for blasphemy, urging the State Government to comply with the conviction

The association stated this in a statement signed by Muhammad Garba, its chairman of the association.

“The honourable Judge of Upper Shariah Court Hausawa was right in his judgment in which he convicted and sentenced the accused to death for blasphemy against the holy prophet Muhammad without prejudice to the right of appeal of the convict,” MULAN said in the statement sighted by The ICIR.

The association further urged the executive arm of the Kano State Government to comply with the sentence of the court.

“MULAN urges the Executive arm of Government in Kano State to ensure strict compliance to the Judgement as part of its commitment towards proper implementation of Shariah,” the muslim lawyers said.

According to them, the act for which Sharifai was convicted is recognised by the Kano State Shariah Penal Code and provided in section 382(B).

They noted that the convict had also confessed to the offence for which he was prosecuted during the trial of which detail is contained in a Whatsapp group known as “Gidan Umma Amina”.

Garba noted that the stand of the association is that the Judge of Upper Shariah Court Hausawa was right in his judgment in which he convicted and sentenced the accused to death for blasphemy against the holy prophet Muhammad.

According to Garba, “the judge was right because the Supreme Court had decided in the case of Abubakar Shalla Vs State (2007) 12 MJSC at page 52-53 paragraph G-B that the position of the Law under Shariah is that any sane and adult Muslim, who insults, defames, or utter words or acts which are capable of bringing into disrepute, odium, contempt of the holy prophet such a person has committed a serious crime which is punishable by death.”

“The general public should understand that Shariah is a Muslim Law applies only to Muslims. Therefore, any person who accepts to be a Muslim must obey the provisions of Shariah irrespective of whether or not it pleases him.

“For people who don’t follow the Islamic faith we remind them that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has guaranteed Nigerians to practice and observe the religion of their choice and be bound by its laws and principles,” MULAN noted.

Source: International Center for Investigative Reporting, Staff, August 15, 2020

Death sentence: Amnesty International demands release of Kano musician

Global rights group, Amnesty International, has condemned the death sentence handed down to a musician, Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, by a Sharia Court in Kano State for blaspheming Prophet Mohammed.

Amnesty also called on the Abdullahi Ganduje-led government to immediately quash the conviction.

The rights group said this on Thursday in a statement titled, ‘Authorities must quash the conviction and death sentence imposed on Kano-based singer’, signed by its spokesman, Isa Sanusi.

The statement read in part, “The authorities of Kano State of Nigeria must immediately quash the conviction and death sentence of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, who was sentenced to death by hanging on spurious charges of blasphemy by the Kano Upper Shari’a Court.”

The group described the conviction as a travesty of justice, adding that the musician did not get a fair hearing.

“Furthermore, the imposition of the death penalty following an unfair trial violates the right to life. Yahaya Sharif-Aminu must be released immediately and unconditionally,” said Osai Ojigho, Amnesty International Nigeria Country Director.

Sharif-Aminu was arrested in March after protesters burnt down his family home and led a procession to the Kano Hisbah command headquarters, demanding for his arrest and prosecution.

Source: punchng.com, Staff, August 15, 2020

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