BLASPHEMY: Convicted musician appeals death sentence

Yahaya Shariff-Aminu, the man who was sentenced to death for blasphemy in Kano State, has appealed his conviction at the State High Court.

In the notice of appeal filed on Thursday by his lawyer, Kola Alapinni, the convict described the Sharia law practised by the state as unconstitutional and undemocratic.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the state Attorney-General were listed as respondents in the appeal.

Shariff-Aminu, a musician, was sentenced to death by an Upper Sharia Court on August 10 for blaspheming Prophet Muhammed.

However, he was given 30 days to appeal the sentence.

READ ALSO: BLASPHEMY: I will not waste time in signing warrant for musician’s execution – Ganduje

Governor Ganduje had last week expressed his readiness to sign the warrant for the musician’s execution at the expiration of the 30 days window for the appeal of the sentence.

In the appeal, Shariff-Aminu claimed that confessional statement was a nullity because the alleged crime did not exist in the constitution.

The appeal read: “The appellant’s trial, conviction, and sentencing by the Upper Sharia Court of Kano State pursuant to the Kano State Penal Code Law 2000 were unconstitutional, null, void having grossly violated and conflicted with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended and having violated the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights respectively.”

“The Penal Sharia Code Law is only applicable and permissible in Islamic theocracies or countries whose constitution allows for such whereas Nigeria is a secular state with constitutional democracy and the constitution being the supreme law.”

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