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| Buhari Sharia: 9 to die for blaspheming 'Prophet of Islam' in Nigeria barely 1 month after Buhari mounts the throne |
Barely one month after General Muhammadu Buhari, was inaugurated as the President of Nigeria, an Upper Sharia court Rijiyar Lemo for the first time in Nigeria sentenced a woman and eight others to death for blasphemy!
General Buhari has has not hidden his desire for the implementation of sharia across Nigeria, which may have been the impetus for the court in Kano State to pass down this unprecedented sentence.
An Islamic cleric, Abdul Inyas, Hajiya Mairo Ibrahim and 10 others were accused of making blasphemous statement against the Prophet of Islam, on May 5th at a religious gathering in honour of Sheik Ibrahim Inyass at Dala general area of Kano municipal. The controversial Sheik Abdul Inyass is of Haqiqa (Realist) group, a mystical branch of Tijjaniyya movement with its headquarters in Senegal.
The Sufi sect of Tijaniya was founded in Algeria in 1784 by Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tijani and has spread all over the world. The sect has a large following across West and North Africa. It also has followers in South Africa, Indonesia and other parts of the world. There are other Sufi sects in Islam but Tijaniya is the largest.
They have three main daily practices: Asking the forgiveness of God; sending prayers to the Prophet Muhammad and affirming the Oneness of Allah. Senegalese-born Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse was credited with reviving the sect in the 20th Century. People travel from across the continent to visit his shrine.
They have several factions including the Haqiqa (Realist) group, whose leaders were convicted accused of blasphemy in Kano.
Tijaniya at a glance
The nine (eight man and a woman), were reported to have said that "Niasse was bigger than Prophet Muhammad", triggering unrest.
The venue was burnt to the ground by an angry mob and the nine were arrested,
"There has been consensus among Muslims scholars that insulting the prophet carries a death sentence," the head of Kano's religious police, Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, told the BBC Hausa service.
"We quickly put them on trial to avoid bloodshed because people were very angry and trying to take law into their hands," he added.
When the accused persons appeared in court on May 22nd thousands of youths who stormed the court to witness the proceedings burnt down the Sharia court. This development may have forced government to conduct the trial in secret. But while the accused were in detention irate youths stormed and demolished Sheik Abdul Inyass residence located at Gaida, Kumbotso local government area of the municipality.
A statement by the Registrar, Kano Sharia court of Appeal signed by one Alhaji Nasiru stated that 8 persons were found guilty in accordance with section 110 and 302 of the penal code procedure.
The statement further disclosed that Al Qassim Abubakar, Yahaya Abubakar, Isa Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar were discharged and acquitted by the court in tandem with sec 404 of Sharia criminal procedure.
The accused, who were all Muslims, had pleaded guilty, the head of Kano's religious police, Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, told the BBC.
It is not known if they will appeal against the sentence.
A team of Islamic sharia enforcers called Hisbah on patrol in the northern Nigerian city of Kano in an open pickup
Kano has a predominately Muslim population and Islamic courts operate alongside secular courts.
BBC Kano reporter Yusuf Yakasai said people celebrated in some parts of the city when news of the judgement emerged.
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