Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Thursday allowed lawyers for Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a musician sentenced to death in Kano for alleged blasphemy, to file an appeal after the legal deadline, a rare procedural concession in a case that has spotlighted friction between religious law and constitutional protections.
Sharif-Aminu was convicted in 2020 by a Kano State sharia court over alleged derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammad. His lawyers say the trial was defective, noting he had no legal representation during proceedings.
“We got only a day’s notice before a Zoom-delivered judgment. We needed time to review it properly before appealing,” said his counsel, Kola Alapinni, adding that the Supreme Court ordered an expedited hearing and that the defence would file its appeal next week.
The defence is also contesting the constitutionality of Kano’s sharia provisions that impose capital punishment and amputation, arguing they conflict with Nigeria’s secular constitution and due-process guarantees.
Kano State’s counsel, Lamido Abba Sorondinki, defended the original verdict. “This applicant made blasphemous statements against the Holy Prophet, which the government of Kano State will not condone,” he said, adding that if the lower court ruling is affirmed, the state would move to carry out the sentence publicly.
The ruling opens the way for a full Supreme Court review of both the conviction and the broader constitutional questions it raises, with national and international observers closely watching the outcome.