EU Parliament demands release of Kano Sufi Muslim singer, repeal of Nigeria’s blasphemy laws

The European Parliament has passed an urgent resolution urging Nigerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim singer sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy in Kano State.

The resolution, referenced as RC-B10-0101/2025, also calls for the repeal of blasphemy laws at both federal and state levels, citing concerns over human rights violations and Nigeria’s international obligations.

Sharif-Aminu has been in detention since March 2020. He was convicted in August 2020 by a Sharia court in Kano and sentenced to death by hanging over song lyrics deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad. Although his conviction was overturned in January 2021, a retrial was ordered. Despite appealing his case to Nigeria’s Supreme Court in November 2022, he remains incarcerated.

The resolution further demands the release of three other individuals facing similar charges: Abdulazeez Inyass, sentenced to death in Kano in 2016; Abduljabar Nasiru Kabara, sentenced to death in December 2022; and Isma’ila Sani Isah, arrested in Sokoto State in 2021.

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On August 30, 2024, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that Sharif-Aminu’s imprisonment violated multiple articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The UN called for his immediate release and compensation.

The EU Parliament strongly criticized Nigeria’s blasphemy laws, arguing that they conflict with the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and international human rights treaties.

Nigeria remains one of only seven countries where blasphemy carries the death penalty.

The resolution states that “blasphemy laws are in clear breach of international human rights obligations, in particular the ICCPR to which Nigeria is party, and contrary to the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom and freedom of expression.”

The EU urged “the Nigerian authorities to uphold human rights throughout the country by ensuring that federal, state and Sharia law do not deny Nigerians protection under the national Constitution and international conventions; urges the Nigerian authorities to repeal the blasphemy laws at federal and state level.”

The resolution also highlighted global efforts to abolish the death penalty and called on Nigeria to “immediately withdraw the use of capital punishment for blasphemy and take steps towards full abolition.”

Additionally, it urged Nigerian authorities to address impunity surrounding blasphemy accusations by penalizing false allegations and prosecuting those responsible for violence.

The EU Parliament further called on its member states to raise human rights concerns, including specific cases related to blasphemy laws, with Nigerian authorities.

It instructed its President to forward the resolution to Nigeria’s Parliament and Government.

Meanwhile, international human rights lawyer Kola Alapinni, a recipient of the U.S. Secretary of State’s award for International Religious Freedom, reacted on X, stating: “Mission accomplished. It sailed through Parliament overwhelmingly—almost no dissenting voice.”

He added: “Mission accomplished! The EU Parliament in Strasbourg just passed a second urgent resolution (RC-B10-0101/2025) on Yahaya Sharif-Aminu (The Kano Singer).

‘Urging the Nigerian authorities to ensure that Federal, State and Sharia Laws do not deny Nigerians the protections afforded by the national constitution and international conventions;…. It sailed through Parliament overwhelmingly. Almost no dissenting voice.”