Nigerian atheist jailed 24 years for blasphemy

Mubarak Bala, 37, has been jailed 24 years by a Kano State High Court, in northern Nigeria, for blaspheming Islam.

Bala, who is an atheist is the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria. He was convicted on his own terms, after  pleading guilty to all 18 charges and asked for leniency.

He has been in detention since 2020.

A group of Muslims had filed a petition to the authorities accusing Bala of posting uncomplimentary messages about Islam on social media.

Kano has a majority Muslim population. It is one of around a dozen states in northern Nigeria where Islamic law is practised alongside secular laws.

 

BBC