A 13-year-old boy, identified as Umar Farouq has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in Kano for blasphemy, in an argument with his friend.
Farouq was arrested after he allegedly made derogatory statements toward Allah in an argument with his friend and was sentenced by Judge Aliyu Kanu, in an Upper Sharia Court in Kano State
This is coming after a Musician, Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, was sentenced to death for blaspheming against Prophet Mohammed in a song he circulated on WhatsApp.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, however faulted the judgement of the upper sharia court in sentencing the minor.
Kano, is predominantly a Muslim nothern Nigerria state, that has Sharia courts as well as Customary courts.
National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Onwubiko, stated that the judgement did not conform with the human rights conventions and treaties to which Nigeria was a signatory.
The Convener, Coalition in Defence of Democracy and Constitution, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, also said,
“What is coming out of Kano is a challenge to section 10 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. We know that the current Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, is more or less not interested in the secularity of this country.
“What is going on in Kano is an attempt to restructure Nigeria through the back door to create a two-nation in one because the message they are sending to the international community is that there is a part of the country operating a different legal system.
