Opinion: Could This Be The Reason Lawyers In Kano State Are Refusing To Defend Sharif Aminu?
It is rather unfortunate that a 22-year-old musician by name Yahaya Sharif Aminu has been sentenced to death by an upper Sharia Court in Kano State. Aminu was accused of committing blasphemy against prophet Mohammed in a song which circulated via WhatsApp in March 2020. It was gathered that Sharif Aminu has been denied access to lawyers even as the 30-day deadline given to him by the court to appeal the judgment elapses on September 9.
The major question bothering many is why has Sharif Aminu been denied access to a lawyer? And why are lawyers refusing to pick up his case?
Section 382 (b) of the Kano penal code of 2000 which is base on Islamic law grants death penalty for whosoever blasphemy against Prophet Mohammed. The law has been there for a long time. Apart from the penal code law, Kano State has been known as one of the States where Sharia Law is highly practiced and upheld.
You can't blame any lawyer for refusal to pick up Sharif Aminu's case because of the volatile nature of Kano State. One major reason why many lawyers are afraid to take the case is because of Fear. They are afraid that their chambers could be burnt down by angry youths or more still they could be attacked for defending Aminu Sharif who they have termed as a blasphemer.
In my opinion, I think Sharif Aminu should be given the right to fair hearing and that he should be granted access to a lawyer to enable him appeal before the 30-day grace period elapses.
What do you think concerning Sharif Aminu case? Feel free to drop your comments and opinions.
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