The Court of Appeal in Kano on Wednesday ordered a retrial of the death sentence against a singer accused of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad.
The singer, Aminu Yahaya-Sharif, 24, a resident of Sharifai in Kano metropolis, was accused of blasphemy against the Prophet of Islam in a song he circulated through How are you in March 2020.
He was sentenced to death in August 2020 by the Kano High Shari’a Court, sitting in Hausawa Filin Hockey, after being found guilty of the charge.
He was convicted by Justice Aliyu Kani under Section 382 (b) of the Kano Penal Code 2000.
However, the Appellate Division of the Kano State High Court on January 21, 2021, overturned the death sentence and ordered a retrial by the same Sharia court.
The High Court ruling delivered by a two-judge panel – Kano State Chief Justice Nuraddeen Umar and Nasiru Saminu cited irregularities in the previous Sharia Court trial.
However, Mr Yahaya-Sharif appealed against the High Court ruling as he argued that the High Court was wrong to order a new trial. Instead, he said the court should have struck him off and acquitted him.
Kano State Attorney General Musa Lawan and Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje were joined in the suits as respondents.
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The Court of Appeal session, which was held via Zoom on Wednesday, ruled in favor of the defendants, upholding the initial ruling of the High Court in Kano which ordered the retrial of the case to the Sharia court.
The appeals court consisted of three judges. Two of the judges supported the respondents while one dissented.
The singer is said to be a member of the Tijjaniya Islamic sect and a member of the Faidha group, followers of Ibrahim Nias, a Senegalese Islamic scholar.
The song sparked violence against the musician’s relatives who fled the area while his family home was set on fire by angry youths, who protested against him.
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