A Sharia court in Kano state has sentenced 22-year-old singer, Yahaya Aminu Sharif, to death by hanging for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.
According to reports from Premium Times, the Sharia court judge, Aliyu Muhammad Kani, gave the verdict after finding Sharif guilty.
The young man’s action was said to have led to angry youths burning down his family home after he went into hiding. The youths were also said to have stormed the Islamic police in Kano known as the Hisbah to demand punishment for Sharif. On Monday, August 10, 2020, Judge Aliyu Muhammad Kani sentenced Sharif to death by hanging.
This led to jubilation among the youths especially the protest leader, Idris Ibrahim. According to reports from BBC, Idris had said that Sharif’s sentencing would serve as a deterrent to those who wanted to toe his path. He said: “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.” Premium Times also reported that Sharif’s father was said to have disowned him saying he did not share his religious views.