| The Daily Crucible | Published Tuesday, April 5, 2022
A state High Court sitting at Audu Bako area of Kano has sentenced a self-confessed atheist, Mubarak Bala, to 24 years imprisonment over blasphemous materials linked to him on social media.
Mubarak Bala, a chemical engineer by training and acclaimed President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria and had been held in detention since his arrest on 28 April 2020 in connection with a blasphemous Facebook post.
He pleaded guilty to committing blasphemy against Allah (SWT) and Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Bala entered a guilty plea on Tuesday (today) when he was brought before the court on an 18-count charge.
He prayed the court to tender justice with mercy, promising not to repeat the said blasphemous post, saying he did not know it would evoke the type of reactions it got when he shared them.
Although, the judge, Justice Farouk Lawan, and the convict’s lawyer, James Ibori, did try to point out the implications of his taking the option of guilty plea but the convict insisted he knew what he was doing and maintained his plea.
In view of his plea, the judge sentenced him to 24 years imprisonment.
The lawyer had earlier told the court that his client had a mental problem, for which he was treated at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano.
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