Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said he will uphold the death sentence passed on 22-year-old Aminu Yahya Sharif by the state’s Upper Shari’ah Court over an allegation of blasphemy.
Ganduje announced this during a meeting with religious clerics and heads of security agencies in the state. The attendants included representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN); Eze of Kano, Chief Boniface Ibekwe; representatives of the Muslim Laywers Association of Nigeria (MULAN); representatives of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA); Commissioner of Police, Director, Sate Security Services (DSS); Comptroller of Kano Correctional Centre; and others.
The various groups accepted the verdict of the court and commended Ganduje for being concerned about issues affecting “the diginity of the Holy Prophet of Islam”.
HumAngle had reported that the judgment was based on section 382 (b) of Kano Penal Code of 2000.
“What happened is so important to the state and to the security of the state and the nation in general. What the Court did is absolutely right. And we support it completely. Such an irresponsible act, if not because of state power, nobody could know what would happen in the future,” Ganduje said.
He explained that Sharif had confessed to be a follower of a particular Islamic sect but the members of that sect immediately denounced him.
“So members of the public need to understand this judgment. We are lucky that scholars maintained it was not a case of a particular sect, but rather of one who decided to deviate,” he continued.
He assured that the state government had accepted the death sentence verdict and the rule of law surrounding the case. “I will not waste time in signing the warrant for the execution of the man who blasphemed our Holy Prophet of Islam,” he emphasised.
Ganduje also commended all the sections of the society for not causing the trouble when the case was in the court.
“Lawyers just told us that the case could go up to the Supreme Court. So if that happens, I will not waste time in approving the verdict right away. And the second issue is, if the victim does not take up the case to appellate courts, I will not waste time to give the approval for the execution.
“I will not take more than a few minutes to accept the verdict,” he said.
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