What You Should Know About Yahaya Sharif-Aminu’s Blasphemy Case

The Supreme Court on September 25, 2025, heard the blasphemy case against  Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a young Sufi Muslim and musician from Kano State. In 2020, he was sentenced to death by a Sharia court after sharing song lyrics on WhatsApp that some considered blasphemous. The case has since become a flashpoint in the debate over blasphemy laws in Nigeria, raising urgent questions about freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and constitutional rights.

 The Case against Yahaya Sharif-Aminu

In March 2020, Sharif-Aminu shared lyrics to a song on WhatsApp. He was accused of blasphemy by Kano State authorities, leading to a mob attacking his home, burning it to the ground, and him being arrested. By August, a Sharia court convicted him of blasphemy and sentenced him to death by hanging, with little chance to prepare a defense as his counsel received barely a day’s notice. His legal team would later argue that the conviction violated both the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights standards.

In January 2021, the Kano State High Court overturned the conviction due to these irregularities but ordered a retrial, leaving him still at risk of execution. An appellate court upheld the death by hanging in 2022. Sharif-Aminu has now spent more than five years in prison awaiting justice.

With support from ADF International, his lawyer, Kola Alapinni, has petitioned the Supreme Court not only to free him but also to declare Kano’s blasphemy law unconstitutional. He argues that laws mandating death or corporal punishment for speech violate Nigeria’s secular constitution and international treaties it has signed.

“Yahaya’s treatment violates both the Nigerian Constitution and international law,” Alapinni said. “No one should be sentenced to death for freely expressing their religious views, and we are working to ensure that Yahaya is released and the blasphemy law ended. It cannot stand.”

The Supreme Court has permitted Sharif-Aminu’s team to file the appeal beyond the usual deadline and has ordered an expedited hearing. But Kano State remains firm. “The statements made by the accused were blasphemous and unacceptable,” said Lamido Abba Sorondinki, representing the government. “Should the Supreme Court affirm the lower court’s decision, the sentence will be carried out publicly.”

Why Does This Case Matter to Nigerians?

Nigeria is one of only seven countries in the world that impose the death penalty for blasphemy. Beyond federal law, twelve northern states enforce Sharia provisions that criminalize alleged insults against the Prophet Muhammad. These laws have ensnared both Muslims and Christians.

Some accused people never even made it to trial. They were lynched by mobs, despite a Supreme Court ruling that all allegations must be proven in court. In August 2025, a Muslim woman in Niger State was lynched by neighbors after a casual conversation was deemed blasphemous. In one of the most notorious cases, Deborah Samuel Yakubu, a Christian college student, was stoned and burned to death by classmates in Sokoto in May 2022 after alleged blasphemy in a WhatsApp group.

Supporters of Sharif-Aminu say his case could set a precedent that protects millions from similar fates. Sean Nelson of ADF International put it bluntly: “Nigeria’s justice system should protect people who express their faith peacefully, not punish them by death.”

Global Attention and Pressure 

Sharif-Aminu’s imprisonment has drawn worldwide condemnation. In 2023, the European Parliament issued a resolution demanding his release and the repeal of Nigeria’s blasphemy laws. In February 2025, it issued another rare, second resolution calling for his “immediate and unconditional release” while warning that his health was deteriorating and his family faced harassment.

“The blasphemy laws are in clear breach of international rights obligations, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and are contrary to the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and expression,” the Parliament declared.

In April 2025, the ECOWAS Court of Justice added further weight, ruling that blasphemy provisions in Kano’s Penal Code and Sharia Penal Code Law (2000) were incompatible with international standards and ordering Nigeria to repeal or amend them.

The United Nations has also intervened. In 2024, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued a detailed opinion finding his detention unlawful and demanding his release.

The Supreme Court’s decision will not only determine whether Yahaya Sharif-Aminu regains his freedom but also whether Nigeria continues enforcing one of the harshest blasphemy laws in the world. For Sharif-Aminu, it could mean an end to years of imprisonment. For Nigeria, it could redefine the balance between religious jurisprudence and constitutional rights.