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Tag: Blasphemy

  • Deborah Samuel: Osinbajo condemns killing of female student in Sokoto

    Deborah Samuel: Osinbajo condemns killing of female student in Sokoto

    Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has finally lent his voice on the murderous killing of Deborah Samuel a part two student of Shehu Shagari college of Education in Sokoto state.

    Osinbajo described the killing of Deborah Samuel, over an allegation of blasphemy as deeply distressing and shocking.

    Osinbajo mentioned this while addressing newsmen on Friday at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, shortly after his arrival from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

    Read Also:

    Deborah Samuel: MURIC reacts to the lynching of female student

    The vice president said it is worthy of note that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and the Sultan of Sokoto had condemned the incident.

    “Let me say that, first, the president has reacted to this, in a statement which was issued earlier condemning the action.

     

    “I must say that it’s a deeply distressing thing, very disturbing – such an atrocious killing of the young lady by a mob who took the law into their own hands; I think it’s very unfortunate.

    “The swift reaction of the Sokoto State Government and also the Sultan of Sokoto is highly commendable.

    “I think that their swift reaction to the situation clearly demonstrates the outrage of millions of Nigerians and also the desire of everyone to ensure that the perpetrators are quickly apprehended and prosecuted.”

    Osinbajo said that there is no justification for extra-judicial killing as there are legal channels for addressing any misdeed.

    He condoled with the family of the deceased and prayed to God to comfort those she left behind.

    “As the president said, there’s really no excuse for anyone to take the law into their own hands no matter the provocation, there are set processes for ensuring that we are able to redress whatever wrongs that are done against us.

    “We must express our condolence to the family of the young lady, Deborah Samuel.

    “I can’t imagine how her parents and siblings and members of her family feel, not just about her death, but the very horrendous nature of its occurrence.

    “I think it’s very sad indeed, and we extend our sincere condolences to them; we ask that the Almighty will comfort them at this time,” he said.)

  • President Buhari condemns resort to self-help against blasphemy in Nigeria

    President Buhari condemns resort to self-help against blasphemy in Nigeria

    President Muhammadu Buhari has strongly condemned the resort to self-help by the mob in Sokoto, resulting in violence, destruction and killing of a second-year student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, Deborah Samuel, following an allegation that she had blasphemed Muhammad (SAW), the Prophet of Islam, on Thursday.

     

    President Buhari condemns resort to self-help against blasphemy in Nigeria.

     

    Deborah, a 200 level student of the institution, was reported killed on the campus of the college for allegedly blaspheming the name of the Prophet Mohammed.

     

    The Presidency demanded an impartial and extensive investigation into the circumstances and noted that the teachings by religious leaders do not support any believer judging the action of another person.

     

    According to a statement from the Presidency, “the news of the killing of the young lady by fellow students was a matter of concern and demanded an impartial, extensive probe into all that happened before and during the incident.

     

    “The President noted that Muslims all over the world demand respect for the Holy Prophets, including Isah (Alaihissalaam, Jesus Christ) and Muhammad (SAW), but where transgressions occur, as alleged to be the case in this instance, the law does not allow anyone to take matters into their hands.

     

    “Moreover, religious leaders preach that it is not for the believer to judge the actions of another person. The constituted authority must be allowed to deal with such matters when they arise.

     

    “No person has the right to take the law into his or her own hands in this country. Violence has and never will solve any problem.”

  • Burnt Sokoto student: Police arrests two suspects, school shut

    Burnt Sokoto student: Police arrests two suspects, school shut

    The Sokoto State Police Command has arrested two persons in connection with the killing of a female student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, over alleged blasphemous statement.

    Reacting the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, in a statement signed by the secretary of the Sultanate Council, Sa’idu Muhammadu Maccido, condemned the killing in its totality.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports this was contained in a press statement signed by the Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Sanusi Abubakar, and made available to newsmen in the state on Thursday.

    “At about 0900hrs, a distress call was received from the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, stating that students were rioting over one female student named Deborah Samuel, a 200 level student, who was accused of making a social media post that blasphemed the holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

    “Students forcefully removed the victim from the security room where she was hidden by the school authorities, killed her and burnt the building. The students banded together with miscreants and barricaded the Sokoto/Jega road.

    Upon receiving the information, the DC Operations led a team of policemen and all other operational commanders in the state to the school, where the road was cleared and the situation was brought under control.

    “Two students were arrested in connection with the crime committed. The school has been closed down by the school authority, and policemen were deployed to give tight security coverage,” the statement partly read.The statement further said the State Commissioner of Police, CP Kamaldeen Okunlola, is appealing to members of the public to go about their lawful activities and should not panic as the situation is under control.

    He further assured that the suspects in the viral video on Twitter were spotted, and will be nailed soon.

    In his reaction, the Sultan said: “Sultanate Council has learnt with dismay the unfortunate happenings at the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, that led to the loss of life a female student of the institution.

    The Sultanate council condemned the incident in its totality and has urged the security agencies to bring perpetrators of the unjustifiable incident to justice,” the statement read.

  • Female student burnt alive over alleged comment against Prophet Muhammad (VIDEO)

    Female student burnt alive over alleged comment against Prophet Muhammad (VIDEO)

    A mob in Sokoto on Thursday burnt alive a female student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education over alleged blasphemy.

     

    Identified simply as Deborah, the student was reported to have described a message about Prophet Muhammad on a WhatsApp group as “nonsense”.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) gathered that the incident triggered tension in the school environment.

     

    The group, it was learnt, was created for academic purposes.

     

    According to a source that pleaded anonymity, the matter got out of hand after Deborah refused to apologize for her alleged comment on the post.

     

    “She was asked to apologise but refused and this heightened tension in the school. The college security personnel had to intervened by whisking her to their office but they were overwhelmed by students, who later set her ablaze,” the source said.

     

    A video of the incident has since gone viral on social media.

    Watch video below:

     

     

     

     

  • Kano court sentences man to 24 years imprisonment over Facebook post

    Kano court sentences man to 24 years imprisonment over Facebook post

    A Kano State High Court on Tuesday sentenced a Kano-born atheist, Mubarak Bala, to 24 years imprisonment for blasphemy.

    The convict, whose age and address were not provided by the court, was earlier arraigned on an 18-count charge bordering on blasphemy, incitement, contempt of religion and breach of public peace.

    The convict had pleaded guilty to the charges.

    Delivering judgment, Justice Farouk Lawan, sentenced the convict to 24 years imprisonment.

    The judge also ordered that the sentence term would commence from the day that the convict was arrested.

    He also ordered that the sentences for all the 18 charges for which Bala was convicted should run concurrently.

    Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Mr Muhammad Sani, told the court that the convict had on April 28, 2020, made a blasphemous post on his Facebook page.

    Sanusi said the post was against Allah (SWA) and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and had caused a major outrage in the city of Kano, where the convict hails from.

    According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened the provision of Sections 114 and 210 of the Penal Code.

    The Defence Counsel, Mr James Ibor, pleaded for leniency on behalf of his client, who concurred and promised not to repeat the blasphemous comments.

  • Blasphemy: Kano court discharge, acquits Faruq Umar; set aside death sentence of another

    Blasphemy: Kano court discharge, acquits Faruq Umar; set aside death sentence of another

    A Kano high court of appeal sitting at Audu Bako secretariat has discharged and acquitted one Faruq Umar earlier sentence to 10 years jail on offence of blasphemy against Allah.

    Faruq Umar was convicted and sentenced to jail by upper Shari’a Court judge Aliyu Mohammad Kani, Filling Hockey division last year for violating section 382 of the Sharia penal code law 2000.

    Faruq was 13 year old when he committed the said offense but the judgment was delivered till 2020 when he was 17 years old.

    In his judgment on the appeal, Justice Nasiru Saminu, nullified the judgment of the lower court for lacking credibility.

    Also, Justice Saminu has set aside the judgment of Upper Sharia court that sentence one Yahaya Sheriff to death by hanging and ordered for immediate retrial.

    In his judgment on an appeal, Justice Saminu declared that the ruling on the lower court was full of irregularities and thereby lack reputable merit to stand.

    Yahaya was found guilty of blasphemy for altering foul language against prophet Muhammad and sentenced to death.

    While ruling on the appeal Justice Saminu insisted Yahaya was not given a fare hearing. He directed the retrial of the case to another Sharia judge.

  • Minister of Communication, other Ulamas to try Rahama Sadau for blasphemy

    Minister of Communication, other Ulamas to try Rahama Sadau for blasphemy

    The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Issa Ali Pantami has been listed among other Ulamas that will try Rahama Sadau for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the petitioner, Mr. Lawal Muhammad Gusau made this known in a statement on Saturday.

    After filing a petition to the Inspector General of Police on alleged case of blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad caused by Sadau’s photos, the petitioner gave a list of four conditions to be met.

    Recall that Sadau’s pictures recently stirred controversy on social media, which forced the actress to withdraw them and apologise.

    Some Northern muslims felt the pictures were offensive to the conservative Northern Nigerian and to Islam, her faith. Others disagreed and rose in her defense.

    But in a press statement released by the petitioner, Mr. Lawal Muhammad Gusau, on Saturday, the Kannywood actress must meet the following conditions as attached.

    The petition warned that if care is not taken, the social media photos of the 27-year-old actress could cause a crisis in the Northern part of Nigeria. It cited an incident in Kano where a singer who allegedly blasphemed the Prophet was attacked by a mob.

    Mr Gusau said, ” in response to the report by BBC Hause transmitted on the 7th day of November 2020 that Rahama Sadau is due to arrive to Kaduna, Nigeria with her Lawyers to defend herself on the allegation of blasphemy labelled against her she should note the followings”

    The conditions include that her lawyer(s) must be Muslims, the Police should only convey her to the Sharia court, renowned Islamic scholars like Isa Pantami should be the judges of the day and that Arewa lawyers should not defend Rahama Sadau.

    See the full statement here:

    Conditions to be met in respect of Rahama Sadau’s allegation of blasphemy on the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

    In response to the report by BBC Hausa transmitted on the 7th day of November 2020 that Rahama Sadau is due to arrive to Kaduna, Nigeria, with her Lawyers to defend herself on the allegation of the blasphemy labelled against her, she should note the followings-

    1. Her lawyer (s) MUST be Muslim by faith. This is predicated on the fact that it is only a Muslim Lawyer that can understand the proceedings of Sharia Court. It is a matter relating to Hadiths of the Prophet and the Glorious Holy Qur’an and not a matter relating to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    2. The Police should only observe their constitutional role of conveying her to Islamic Shariah Court after conduction discreet investigation of the case in issue.

    3. Renowned Islamic scholars like Sheikh (Dr.) Ahmed Mahmoud Gumi, Kaduna, Sheikh Ahmed BUK from Kano, Sheikh Kabir Haruna Gombe from Gombe state, Shekh Nura Khalil (Digital) from Abuja and Sheikh Ali Isa Pantami (Hon. Minister of Communication) will be the Ulamas that will give Islamic interpretation with regards to the balsphemy on the Prophet Muhammed (SAW).

    4 We compliment the resolve of Arewa lawyers for not interfering in the cases of blasphemy against one Aminu Sherif and Umar Farouq. We expect the Arewa Layers and most particularly Lawyers in Kaduna not to interfere in Rahama Sadau’s case.

    Finally, we wish to call on the general public to remain calm, while assuring all Muslim faithful that justice will take its course.

    Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria! Long live the Nigeria Police Force!

  • Blasphemy: Execute judgement to serve as deterrent to others, Shari’ah Council urges Kano govt

    Blasphemy: Execute judgement to serve as deterrent to others, Shari’ah Council urges Kano govt

    The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria has urged Kano State Government to execute the court judgement that found a singer guilty for blasphemy.

    In a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Nafi’u Baba-Ahmad, Tuesday in Kaduna, the Shari’ah Council said executing the judgement will serve as deterrent to others.

    It berated those calling for the pardon of the convict, and advised the Kano State Government not to be swayed by their antics.

    “The calls by some so-called human rights groups to pardon the culprit should not deter the State Government from doing the right thing.

    “This case is purely an Islamic affair, in consonance with the religion, culture and wishes of not only the people of Kano, but the majority of the population of Nigeria who are Muslims.

    “The Council further wishes to emphatically remind all Nigerians especially the secular human rights groups that the judgement is in line with the Supreme Court
    judgement.”

    It cited the case of Abubakar Shalla Vs State (2007) 12 MJSC at page 52-53 paragraph G-B, where the Supreme Court ruled “that the position of the Law under Shari’ah is that any sane and adult Muslim, who insults, defames, or utters words or acts which are capable of bringing into disrepute, odium, contempt of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon Him), such a person has committed a serious crime which is punishable by death.”

    “We therefore call on all Muslims to be mindful of their utterances as the Prophet (SAW) said: Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should say what is right or keep silent.”

    A Kano Upper Shari’ah Court, on Aug. 10, sentenced one Sharif Yahaya Sharifai to death by stoning for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad as provided under Kano State Shari’ah Law.(

  • Blasphemy: We have no objection to death sentence of Kano singer, Aminu – CAN

    Blasphemy: We have no objection to death sentence of Kano singer, Aminu – CAN

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has reacted to the death sentence passed on a Kano singer, Yahaya Aminu Sharif who was convicted of blasphemy by a Shari’a Court.

    Adeolu Samuel Adeyemo, the Kano state chairman of CAN said the religious body does not object to the ruling because it is according to the position of Islam.

    His words: “For us in CAN, the judgment of the Shari’a court is according to Islamic law and so we don’t have objection to it because it is according to the position of Islam.”

    Adeyemo added that religious tolerance should be upheld for a harmonious atmosphere to reign in the society.

    He pointed out that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a grievous sin that can not be forgiven.

    “So, our interference is not relevant. Now, if you want to know the position of Christianity about blasphemy, I will say there is what you can blaspheme about and what you cannot. And the Lord Jesus said blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a grievous sin that has no forgiveness. That is the position of Christianity,” he said.

  • Nigeria pardons BH terrorists but wants to kill citizen for ‘blasphemy’ – Apostle Suleman

    Nigeria pardons BH terrorists but wants to kill citizen for ‘blasphemy’ – Apostle Suleman

    President of Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide Apostle Johnson Suleman has reacted to the death sentence handed down to a 22-year-old man by a Kano Upper Shari’a Court on Monday for blaspheming Prophet Muhammad.

    Suleman via his Twitter page on Tuesday said Saudi Arabia will be shocked at the development.

    He stressed that he could not understand how death sentence would be awarded for blasphemy while Boko Haram fighters are pardoned.

    He wrote, “A country that pardons terrorists wants to kill a man for blasphemy.I am sure even Saudi Arabia is shocked..the worst form of deception is self-deceit.”

    Saudi Arabia regularly hands down the death sentence for drug trafficking among other crimes.

    Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a resident of Sharifai in Kano metropolis, was accused of committing blasphemy against the prophet in a song he circulated via WhatsApp in March.

    The incident caused riots in the city. His family house was burnt down in the process.