Supreme Court Grants Late Appeal In Kano Blasphemy Case

Nigeria’s Supreme Court on September 25, 2025, granted a late appeal in the controversial Kano
blasphemy case, giving musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu a fresh opportunity to challenge his death
sentence. The ruling has renewed debate over sharia law, human rights, and freedom of expression in
Africa’s most populous nation.

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has granted lawyers representing Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a man sentenced to
death by a Kano sharia court for alleged blasphemy, permission to file an appeal beyond the statutory
deadline.

The decision paves the way for an accelerated hearing in one of Nigeria’s most high-profile human rights
cases in recent years. Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim singer, was convicted in 2020 after being accused of
making derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad in a song shared on WhatsApp. His case
has since drawn widespread local and international attention, with rights groups arguing that the
sentence violates constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and religion.

The Supreme Court accepted the defence team’s argument that they were not given adequate notice
when the earlier judgment was delivered via Zoom, which prevented them from filing an appeal within
the prescribed period.

Legal observers say the apex court’s ruling offers a critical opportunity to revisit the constitutional
questions surrounding the enforcement of sharia penal codes in a secular state.

Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have welcomed the ruling, urging Nigerian
authorities to abolish the death penalty for blasphemy and ensure fair trial guarantees in all related
cases.
The Kano State government has yet to issue a formal response to the Supreme Court’s decision.

By Oyinkansola Shittu.

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