jail man Kano Sharia Court sentences man to death for blasphemy

A Kano Upper Sharia Court has sentenced Ab­dulaziz Daud, popularly known as Abdul Inyass, to death by hanging after finding him guilty of blas­phemy.

The court upheld the death sentence passed on him by a Lower Sharia Court.

Daud was arrested on August 18, 2015 in Abuja and taken to Kano, where he faced trial on a two-count charge of blasphemy and inciting crisis that led to the burning of a Sharia Court and some vehicles.

The man reportedly made some blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad during a Mau­lud festival held on June 31 last year.

State counsel, Lamido Soron Dinki, said five wit­nesses, including the po­lice, had testified before the court.

Other nine accomplices had previously been sen­tenced to death by the same court.

Counsel to the defendant, who craved anonymity, neither commented on the ruling nor possibility of ap­pealing the judgment.

Five other accused per­sons had also received death sentence by the court in June. The convicted has right to appeal the sentence.

This would not be the first time the Sharia Court would hand down a death sentence.

In Katsina, Amina Lawal was sentenced to death by stoning by a Sharia Court.

She had earlier been con­victed of giving birth after being divorced. Amina countered that the man who fathered the baby girl had promised to marry her but reneged on his promise.

Lawal was convicted and sentenced in March 2002 after giving birth to a baby girl more than nine months after divorcing.

Under the strict Shariah law, pregnancy outside marriage constitutes suffi­cient evidence for a woman to be convicted of adultery.

A court stayed her execu­tion for two years to allow her to care for her baby.

Amina insisted she did nothing wrong and that the man who fathered her child left her pregnant and with no support.

The Shariah Court of Appeal upturned the con­viction.

Earlier, in 2001, Zamfara pioneered introduction of Sharia law in the country and actually went ahead to amputate Lawali Isa Gummi’s wrist after he was tried under the Islamic law and convicted for stealing three bicycles valued at N9,500 ($86).

Also in Zamfara, Au­walu Abubakar’s hand was ordered amputated by a Sharia Court for stealing a bull.

Meanwhile, General Of­ficer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, has said the military has no apol­ogy to members of the Is­lamic Movement of Nige­ria (IMN), also known as Shi’ites over the December 12, 2015 clash with the Is­lamic sect.

Briefing newsmen yes­terday over the 2015 ac­tivities of the Command, Oyebade said this was because the sect formed a parallel government within constituted authority.

He said apart from Is­lamic sect, any sect, either Christianity or even pa­gans, who do not obey and subject itself to the law of the land, would be dealt with according to the law.

The GOC added that the military has no issue with the Islamic sect, pointing out that even some mili­tary personnel are Shi’ites by religious calling, but, they respect and obey con­stituted authority and the military has no issue with them.

The army general also said over 21 Boko Haram suspects were arrested, as well as over 200 camps belonging to the insurgents and armed bandits were destroyed across the North- West during the period un­der review. He displayed assorted weapons, includ­ing locally made ammu­nition recovered from the bandits during the period, particularly in Kaduna.

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