Today, FRF lawyers appeared at the Federal Court of Appeal, Kano Division, Nigeria acting on behalf of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu.
A Kano Shariah Court sentenced Yahaya to death on August 10, 2020, on charges of blasphemy. Our lawyers successfully appealed that decision on November 26. However, the Kano High Court ordered a re-trial instead of releasing him. More details here.
We appealed the re-trial decision and we were in court today to argue the appeal. Kano State lawyers failed to submit arguments to rebut our motion to release Yahaya in advance of the hearing and they failed to turn up in court today.
This is a delaying tactic that we have seen repeatedly in the case of Mubarak Bala who was arrested on April 28, 2020, for Facebook posts that apparently offended some Muslims in the state. Mubarak remains incarcerated 19 months later and has yet to be tried. More details here.
Under the circumstances, the presiding Justices adjourned Yahaya’s hearing to February 10, 2022. If Kano state lawyers do not show up for the hearing in February, we will ask the Judges to make a decision in their absence based on the evidence in front of them.