I won’t waste time signing death warrant of musician convicted for blaspheming Prophet Muhammed, says Governor Ganduje

The Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje has declared that, he would not waste time to sign death warrant for the execution of the musician, Yahaya Sharif, who was convicted by Shari’s court for blaspheming Prophet Muhammed.

Penpushing reports that, Ganduje made the declaration on Thursday during a meeting with clerics in Kano, adding that  he will only fail to do so if the convict appeals up to the Supreme Court and wins.

The Governor who was making comment on the issue for the first time, emphasized, “I will not waste time in signing the warrant for the execution of the man who blasphemed our holy prophet of Islam,”.

Penpushing further reports that, Ganduje, speaking with the clerics at the government house in Kano, said the state government had accepted the sentence, adding that, “what happened is so important to the state and to the security of the state and the nation in general’.

‘What the court did is absolutely right. And we support it completely. That kind of irresponsible act, if not because of the state power, nobody could know what would happen in the future,” he said.

“The man who did that confessed to being a follower of a particular Islamic sect. But the adherents of that sect rejected him right away.So we need to understand the importance of this judgement. We are lucky that scholars maintained that it was not a case for a particular sect, but rather of one who just decided to derail,” he said.

Penpushing also reports that, the Governor commended the court’s handling of the case and commended Kano residents for not fomenting trouble during the trial, stating that, “our eyes are there following everything bit by bit. We thank Almighty Allah, that the court sitting went on successfully,”.

“Lawyers just told us that the case could go up to Supreme Court. So if that happens, I will not waste time in approving the verdict right away. And the second issue is, if the victim did not take up the case to appellate courts, I will not waste time to give the approval for the execution. I will not take more than few minutes to accept the verdict,” Ganduje declared

Penpushing reports that, Judge of the Kano Upper Shari’a Court in Kano,Aliyu Kani  on August 10 sentenced  the 22 year old musician, a resident of Sharifai in Kano metropolis, who was accused of committing the offence in a song he circulated via WhatsApp in March 2020  to death   by hanging for “blasphemy”.

The Chairman of the Council of Imams in the State, Nasir Adam, as well as the leader of Izalatul Bid’ah Wa’iqamatussunnah Abdullahi Pakistan, Usman Makwarari, supported the execution,arguing that, Shari’ah courts and show respect for Kano people and their religion.

Penpushing further reports that, Chairman of the Kano State branch of Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria, Sani Garba, in his remarks posited that, the association equally supported the Governor’s decision to sign the warrant.

The Chairman declared that, even if the case goes to the Supreme Court, nothing would change, while the Chairman of Nigeria Bar Association, Kano State Branch Aminu Gadanya, in his submission said the body collectively accepted the verdict of the court.

Penpushing also reports that, at the meeting  attended by Commissioner of Police, Director State Security Service, the representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria, and Eze Igbo of Kano, Boniface Ibekwe, the Chairman emphasized, “looking at the legal provisions followed by the Court, we are supporting this judgement 100 per cent,” .

Meanwhile, other Islamic clerics who attended the meeting included the state Commissioner of Religious Affairs, Tahar Adamu, the Imam of Triumph Friday Mosque, Lawan Abubakar, the leader of Qadiriyyah in West Africa Qariballah-Kabara who was represented by Ibrahim Matabuli-Kabara.