Nigeria’s Supreme Court has begun hearing the appeal of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi singer sentenced to death in 2020 by a Kano sharia court over song lyrics considered offensive to the Prophet Mohammed.
The conviction was later set aside by the Kano State High Court, which ordered a retrial. Sharif-Aminu’s legal team is contesting that decision, seeking to stop the retrial and also urging the court to strike down sharia penalties such as death sentences for blasphemy and adultery.
“All various aspects of the sharia penal code that offend the constitution and Nigeria’s international obligations, we cannot have on our statute books,” said his lawyer, Kola Alapinni, after the court granted more time for his team to file their submissions.
Although Nigeria operates under a secular constitution, 12 northern states enforce sharia law alongside common law.
Death sentences handed down under Islamic law are rarely carried out, yet mob violence over alleged blasphemy remains a frequent occurrence in the region.
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The case has attracted international concern. Civil society groups, the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States have all expressed support for Sharif-Aminu.
In April, the ECOWAS Court of Justice ruled that Kano’s death penalty for blasphemy was “excessive and disproportionate,” but the decision has not been implemented by Nigeria.
Sharif-Aminu’s case stems from lyrics he circulated on WhatsApp, which compared a cleric he followed to the Prophet Mohammed, according to Alapinni.
Defending the state’s stance, Kano government lawyer Lamido Abba Sorondinki said, “anybody who has uttered any word that touches the integrity of the holy prophet, we’ll punish him.”
Sharif-Aminu remains in detention as the appeal continues.