An atheist in Kano State in northern Nigeria has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for blasphemy.
Murabak Bala, 37, is the president of the Nigerian Humanist Association and has been in prison since 2020. He admitted to all 18 charges and asked for indulgence.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, and most people are deeply religious. The north is mostly Muslim and the south is mostly Christian.
Kano has a predominantly Muslim population. It is one of 12 states in Northern Nigeria where Islamic law is practiced alongside secular law.
Image: AFP
A group of Muslims submitted a petition to the authorities accusing Bala of posting offensive messages about Islam on social media.
If Bala had been tried in an Islamic court, he could have been sentenced to death.
UN human rights experts and international human rights groups condemned his arrest and called for his release.
Bala renounced her faith in Islam in 2014. He was even taken to a mental hospital, but was discharged.
He was arrested in the neighboring state of Kaduna in 2020 and transferred to his hometown of Kano.
source: Noticias