Entertainment
Kano Court sentences singer to death for blasphemy
A 22-year-old musician has been found guilty, and sentenced to death by a Kano Upper Shari’a Court sitting at Hausawa Filin Hockey on Monday for blaspheming Prophet Muhammad in one of his songs.
The court presided over by Judge Khadi Aliyu Muhammad Kani held that the singer identified as Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, was guilty of committing blasphemy for a song he circulated via WhatsApp in March.
Mr Sharif-Aminu did not deny the charges leveled against him and the presiding judge said thereafter that he could appeal against the verdict by the court which has sentenced him to death.
READ ALSO: CRACKDOWN? Emir of Kano’s singer who released song against Gov Ganduje arrested, docked
The sentence has however not been carried out as a death sentence in Nigeria requires the sign-off of the state governor.
In a related development, the leader of the protesters that called for the musician’s arrest in March, Idris Ibrahim, told the BBC that the judgement will serve as a warning to others “contemplating toeing Yahaya’s path”…. “When I heard about the judgment I was so happy because it showed our protest wasn’t in vain.
“This [judgement] will serve as a deterrent to others who feel they could insult our religion or prophet and go scot-free,” he said.
“The last time a Nigerian Sharia court passed a death sentence was in 2016 when Abdulazeez Inyass was sentenced to death for blaspheming against Islam during a secret trial in Kano,” he added.
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