What if you got the DEATH PENALTY for sharing WhatsApp messages?

This is the reality for Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Nigerian musician. But his case is now before the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is a young Sufi musician from Kano State, Nigeria, who has spent nearly five years languishing in prison for peacefully expressing his beliefs online.

In 2020, he was sentenced to death by hanging after sharing song lyrics on WhatsApp that authorities deemed “blasphemous” under Kano State’s Sharia-based blasphemy law. He was convicted without legal representation and denied even the most basic safeguards of justice.

Kola Alapinni

Yahaya’s lawyer

“Yahaya is an artist and musician, who, for freely expressing himself, could now lose his life under the death penalty. He is committed to correcting the grave injustice he has endured, not only for himself, but for all who suffer under blasphemy laws. Our appeal to the Supreme Court is this: overturn these dangerous laws and bring us one step closer to a peaceful Nigeria.”

Our goal is not only justice for Yahaya, but also to secure a ruling that paves the way for religious freedom and an end to violence in Nigeria through the abolishment of draconian blasphemy laws.

More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than in all the countries of the world combined. And blasphemy laws are at the root of this culture of violence.

Yahaya’s case is a defining test for freedom of religion and expression in Nigeria, where these Sharia-based laws violate both the country’s Constitution and international human rights obligations.

In a country of more than 200 million, split nearly evenly between Christians and Muslims, blasphemy laws punish the innocent for expressing their beliefs, silence people from sharing their faith, and perpetuate widespread societal violence.

The United Nations and the European Parliament have called for Yahaya’s release, recognising the profound global implications of his continued prosecution.

We will update you as soon as new developments follow the September 25th hearing. In the meantime, please keep Yahaya and all who suffer violence in Nigeria in your prayers. And if you can, please consider supporting our Global Religious Freedom team as they work to bring justice to people like Yahaya around the world.