Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara, an Islamic cleric, should be released immediately, according to Nigerian activist and publisher Omoyele Sowore, who claims that Kano State officials are persecuting him because of his faith.
On his verified social media account, Sowore said that he had intended to visit the cleric in prison but was troubled by the circumstances of his incarceration.
He added, “It is tragic and completely intolerable that a religious scholar is imprisoned just because his teachings or interpretations diverge from those favored by those in power in Kano State.”
Recall that on December 15, 2022, Abduljabbar was given a death by hanging sentence for blasphemy by an Upper Shari’a Court in Kano, which was presided over by Malam Ibrahim Sarki Yola.
The Kano State Government had filed four charges against the preacher for making derogatory remarks regarding Prophet Muhammad SAW on August 10, October 25, and December 20, 2019.
Nigeria must stop taking steps that stifle religious beliefs, according to Sowore.
He declared, “The time of religious persecution in Nigeria has to end now.”
He called on human rights organizations and the federal government to intervene.
Additionally, he cautioned that Kabara’s prolonged arrest compromises the nation’s commitment to justice and freedom of speech, noting that no democracy can endure when the government determines what religious beliefs are acceptable.
