Blasphemy: Kano cleric sentenced to death disengages lawyer

A Kano Cleric, Sheikh Abduljabbar Kabara, who was sentenced to death by hanging for blasphemy, has disengaged his lawyer, Sadiq Yusuf, to discontinue his case at the State High Court Division of Appeal.
NAN reports that an Upper Shari’a Court on Dec.15, 2022, sentenced Abduljabbar to death by hanging for blasphemy.

Abduljabbar, filed a suit through his counsel, Sadiq Yusuf, challenging the record of proceedings of the lower court( Upper Shari’a).

The appellant is also seeking the court to amend sections 275 and 375 of Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law 2000, on which he was convicted.

When the case came up for hearing on Wednesday, the state counsel, Bashir Saleh, told the court that they were served with a letter dated May 10, signed by the appellant himself that he had disengaged the services of his counsel Yusuf.

“So being a constitutional matter, My lord we can not not proceed with this matter.”

Saleh urged the court to strike out the two appellant’s motion on notice prayers dated Feb.22 and March 2, 2024 affidavit of facts challenging the record of proceedings of the lower court.

In a ruling delivered, Justice Nasiru Saminu said the respondent’s application was premature and therefore dismissed the application.

He referred the matter to the next appeal session, to enable the appellant to secure a new counsel.

The appellant committed the offence on Aug.10, Oct.25 and Dec.20, 2019, during a sermon at his two mosques.

The state counsel said Kabara made a blasphemous comment against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his marriage with Nana Safiyya in hadith 1,365, 1,428, 2,326 and 5,120 Sahih-Bukhari and Muslim and posted it on his Facebook page Ashabul Kahfi.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 382(b) and 375 of Kano State Shari’a Law 2000.