Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Nigeria

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sufi

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Accepted: Death Overturned

Sentence: Originally Death

Date of Detainment: March//2020

Date of Sentencing: August/10/2020

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures) Religious Expression Singing, Playing, & Producing Religious Songs & Music

Nature of Charges: Blasphemy

Yahaya Sharif-Aminu

Extra Bio Info:

Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is detained for his religious expression. 

In March 2020, authorities arrested Sharif-Aminu, a musician and follower of the Sufi Tijaniyyah Order, after a series of audio messages circulated via WhatsApp were made public in which he is said to have “praised an imam from the Tijaniya Muslim brotherhood (Ibrahim Niasse) to the extent it elevated him above the Prophet Muhammed.” Sharif-Aminu went into hiding following backlash for his recording; protestors burned down his family home reportedly on March 4.  He was later arrested and charged with one count of insulting the religious creed (Sec. 382 (6) Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law 2000).

On August 10, 2020, the Hausawa Filin Hockey Upper-Sharia Court in a closed trial found Sharif-Aminu guilty and sentenced him to death. Sharif-Aminu was reportedly held incommunicado while detained. 

In January 2021, a higher court in Kano state overturned Sharif-Aminu’s conviction and ordered his case to be retried due to irregularities in the original trial.

In August 2022, the Kano State Appeals Court affirmed Sharif-Aminu's order for retrial.

In November 2022, Sharif-Aminu filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. 

Sources: