Nigeria’s Supreme Court has granted lawyers for Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a musician sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy, permission to file an appeal beyond the statutory timeframe.
The case, which has drawn both national and international concern, underscores ongoing tensions between sharia-based rulings in northern Nigeria and the country’s secular constitutional framework.
Sharif-Aminu was convicted in 2020 by a Kano State sharia court for allegedly making blasphemous remarks about the Prophet Mohammad, but his defence argues the trial was deeply flawed as he had no legal representation at the time.
His legal team is now set to challenge both the conviction and the constitutionality of Kano State’s sharia provisions prescribing capital punishment and amputation, insisting they conflict with Nigeria’s constitution.
While the Supreme Court has ordered an accelerated hearing, Kano State authorities continue to defend the original verdict, maintaining that the offence cannot go unpunished.
The upcoming appeal will test the balance between religious law and constitutional rights in Nigeria.
