Nigerian activist and publisher, Omoyele Sowore has called for the immediate release of Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara, saying his continued imprisonment is an act of religious persecution by Kano State authorities.
Sowore, wrote this on his verified social media account, adding that he had planned to visit the cleric in prison but was disturbed by the conditions surrounding his detention.
“It is heartbreaking and utterly unacceptable that a religious scholar remains behind bars simply because his teachings or interpretations differ from those preferred by those in power in Kano State,” he wrote.
It would be recalled that an Upper Shari’a Court in Kano, led by Malam Ibrahim Sarki Yola, sentenced Abduljabbar to death by hanging on December 15, 2022, for blasphemy.
The cleric had been charged by the Kano State Government on four counts related to blasphemous comments about Prophet Muhammad SAW made on August 10, October 25, and December 20, 2019.
Sowore said Nigeria must end actions that suppress religious opinions.
“The era of religious persecution in Nigeria must end now,” he said.
He urged the federal authorities and human rights organisations to step in.
He also warned that keeping Kabara in detention for so long undermines the country’s commitment to justice and freedom of expression, adding that no democracy survives when the state decides which religious opinions are permissible.
