The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has supported the death sentence passed on a 22-year-old Aminu Yahaya Sharif, for blasphemy.
He expressed his support on Thursday after a stakeholders’ meeting over the issue,
Recall that the death sentence was passed on Sharif by a Judge of Kano Upper Shari’ah Court, Aliyu Kani on 10th of August 2020.
The judgement was based on Section 382 (b) of Kano Shari’ah Penal Code of 2000.
Ganduje stated that the convict was given a thirty-day grace to appeal the judgement.
He added that the state government had no right to execute any decision within the stated period.
“What happened is so important to the state and to the security of the state and the nation in general. What the Court did is absolutely right. And we support it completely. Such an irresponsible act, if not because of the state power, nobody could know what would happen in the future,” he said.
“The man who did that, confessed to be a follower of a particular Islamic Sect. But the adherents of those Sect rejected him right away. So we need to understand the importance of this judgement. We are lucky that Scholars maintained that it wasn’t a case for a particular Sect, but rather of one who just decided to derail.”
Ganduje said the state government had accepted the death sentence and the rule of law surrounding the case.
“I will not waste time in signing the warrant for the execution of the man who blasphemed our Holy Prophet of Islam,” he assured.
“Our eyes are there following everything bit by bit. We thank Almighty Allah, that the court sitting went on successfully.”
“Lawyers just told us that the case could go up to the Supreme Court. So if that happens, I will not waste time in approving the verdict right away. And the second issue is, if the victim did not take up the case to appellate courts, I will not waste time to give the approval for the execution. I will not take more than a few minutes to accept the verdict.”
Also, representatives of the Islamic scholars addressed the gathering about why the judgement should be accepted and executed.
