Singer, Yahaya Sharif-Aminu has been sentenced to death for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad in Kano.
The Kano Upper Shari’a Court sitting at Hausawa Filin Hockey sentenced 22-year-old Yahaya Sharif to death by hanging.
The judge, Aliyu Kani, gave the verdict on Monday after finding Mr Sharif guilty as charged. He was convicted based on Section 382 (b) of Kano penal code of 2000.
Mr Sharif, a resident of Sharifai in Kano metropolis, was accused of committing blasphemy against the prophet of Islam in a song he circulated via WhatsApp in March 2020.
The singer who is currently in detention, had gone into hiding after he composed the song.
Protestors had burnt down his family home and gathered outside the headquarters of the Islamic police, known as the Hisbah, demanding action against him.
Critics said the song was blasphemous as it praised an imam from the Tijaniya Muslim brotherhood to the extent it elevated him above the Prophet Muhammad.
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.
Few people had heard of him before his arrest in March. As an Islamic gospel musician, he is not well-known in northern Nigeria and his songs were not popular outside his Tjjaniya sect, who have many such musicians within their ranks.
