By Abdurrahman Mustapha
SADIQ Usman* is in his early thirties, a Christian convert, resident in Kano State.
But, he currently disguises each time he goes out. This is due to fears that he was still being tracked by persons who accused him of blasphemy.
Before he agreed to be interviewed by The ICIR on May 25, in a suburb town of the state, Usman had used a different phone number to share his location with this reporter.
Apparently, it was a deliberate move to ensure he was not being setup. Yet, meeting with the right source, The ICIR, who had visited to document real cases of religious extremism and intolerance in the state.
On arriving the location, Usman kept a distance of about 200 meters apart, looking sideways, still in doubt.
He clearly appeared as one still battling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), owing to his grisly encounters.
The ICIR would later discover Usman had suffered forms of religious intolerance in the past and had to relocate from one part of Kano to another.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting and staying this far,” he said, forcing out a hard smile, yet keeping his distance. “You know I’m just doing this for my safety because of my previous experience.”
Religious intolerance is big issue in Nigeria. And it is not peculiar to a particular religion. It exists among the three major religions in the country – Christianity, Islam and Traditionalists. But, many believed it is largely pronounced in northern Nigeria, due to the adoption of Sharia Law.
It is often perceived as “the acts denying the right of people of another religious faith to practice and express their beliefs freely.”
The discourse has almost become household name. And similar to that would be the act of religious extremism.
Findings in the course of this report revealed the act of religious intolerance and extremism has claimed about 289 deaths across churches and mosques between January 2021 and June 2022 nationwide. And these are from 65 attacks on Churches and 12 attacks on Mosques in same period. Regardless, the trend persists.
The Genesis of Usman’s Nightmares
Usman has a friend named Isiyaku Bello, * a new Christian convert whose decision was strongly opposed by his (Bello’s) parents. He was threatened severally and eventually, disowned by his family.
He would later seek refuge in Usman’s house after escaping from his parent’s residence through the roof. As confirmed from multiple sources, it is sacrilegious to leave Islam for any other religion, especially in northern Nigeria.
Bello had to stay with Usman for a few months, unknown to the two, they were being tracked, while his parents waited for the right time to act.
Alas! It came.
It was on a sunny Monday morning towards the end of the lockdown in 2020. Bello needed to correct his bank account information and both set out that morning to the bank. On approaching the financial institution, they got surrounded by Bello’s parent, relative, men dressed in security regalia. They pounced on them like a Tiger that just caught its prey.
“We were beaten mercilessly,” he told The ICIR. Usman said they were assaulted and inflicted with various degrees of body injury.
“While they were beating us up, nobody around could help because they said I was the reason their son converted to Christianity.”
As he narrates his heart wrenching story, he would unconsciously look round as one who was being watched.
“After beating us up like criminals, we were smuggled into a tricycle and whisked away to a vigilante outpost. We were detained for several hours and handcuffed at the leg as we bled, while they went through our phones after forcing us to unlock it.”
He was later taken, with his friend – Bello to Rijiyar Zaki Divisional Police station, along Bayero University Kano road, Ungogo LGA of the state. “The vigilante officials abused me verbally, said harsh words about my religion and later on, we were taken to Rijiyar Zaki Police station in the evening.”
The argument from Bello’s parent to the Police was that he attempted converting their son to Christianity, but “honestly, Bello came to me and told me about his decision to convert on his will.”
The Divisional Police Officer, who he pleaded not to mention due to sensitivity of the report eventually, released him and he went his way.
And more cases of religious intolerance
In June 2015, a Sharia court in Kano sentenced nine persons to death for blasphemy. The victims allegedly rated Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse, a Senegalese founder of the Tijaniya sect, as being “bigger than prophet Muhammad.”
This, ordinarily would mean demeaning the superiority of the highly revered Islamic clergy – prophet Muhammad. But it eventually led to social disorder, and swiftly, judgement was passed over the nine victims – eight men, and a woman.
Another cleric, Abduljabbar Kabara was not so lucky despite being a cleric, and son of deceased Nasiru Kabara, leader of an Islamic group – Qadariyya Islamic Movement in West Africa.
On Thursday, December 15, 2022, Abduljabbar was sentenced to death by hanging for blasphemy. The Upper Sharia Court in Kofar Kudu, Kano State, found him guilty of a four-count-charge.
Umar Farouk, another victim, was also found guilty of blasphemy for reportedly abusing Prophet Mohammed while arguing with his friends. He was a 16-year-old teenager. He also got a-10-year jail term from the sharia court, though the judgement was later nullified by a superior court in the state.
The story of late Deborah Samuel, is probably still fresh in the mind of many. She was killed at the Shehu Shagari College of Education located in Sokoto State based on the allegation of making “social media post that blasphemed the Prophet Muhammad.” The incident drew global attention, largely condemned but the school got re-opened for normal operation shortly after. The ICIR cannot independently confirm if anyone has been prosecuted for the incident.
Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, the former head of Kano State religious police argued it has been a popular agreement among Muslim clerics that any disrepute at the holy prophet attracts death sentence.
“There has been consensus among Muslims scholars that insulting the prophet carries a death sentence,” Daurawa told the BBC Hausa service in June 2015. “We quickly put them on trial to avoid bloodshed because people were very angry and trying to take law into their hands.”
The ICIR can confirm these events have become almost usual occurrence which the nation has consistently witnessed in the past decade. Yet, there is a mixed reaction whether or not the Holy Quran supports death sentence for those accused of blasphemy.
Oyewole Oladipupo, an Islamic scholar, based in Ilorin, Kwara State, reacting, said the Holy Book – Quran does not support capital punishment for blasphemy.
He said the “Quran didn’t support it”, stressing that such capital punishment violates the freedom of religion as documented in the constitution.
Ustaz Abdulafeez Akomolafe, who is the Mudir (Principal) of Al-Mafuz Islamic School, Osogbo, Osun State shared a similar perspective. He said the Quran discourages Muslims from leaving the religion for any other. And the act could attract death penalty. But, he noted that those who abused or committed blasphemy against the holy prophet – Muhammad should not be subjected to capital punishment as it is not backed by the Quran.
According to him, the nation is governed by a constitution which supersedes any other law including the Sharia. But, “if the whole country decides to run its affairs based on Sharia law, the death penalty is applicable to anyone who discards Islam for other religion.”
He further argued citing the instance of the COVID-19 lockdown by the Federal Government in 2020, when FG asked everyone nationwide to stay in door to prevent community spread of the disease. “No one dare breached the law.”
In 2019, the US government labelled Nigeria as one of the most religious intolerant country globally.
The federal government was not too pleased with the report that the former minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, countered the declaration. A year after, the US delisted Nigeria from the controversial list. Still, several documented reports confirmed incidents of religious intolerance persisted.
In almost all quarters of 2022, for instance, the nation experienced incidents depicting one form of religious extremism, intolerance or the other. These events have casted aspersions on the supremacy of the nation’s constitution on religion freedom.
Nigerian Constitution and dynamics of religious freedom
Nigeria is often considered a circular state due to its ethno-religious diversity. And the freedom of religion is enshrined in the constitution as a natural right, just as the freedom of expression.
It is similar to the Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Article 91 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights which Nigeria is a signatory.
Chapter 4, Section 38 of the constitution also promotes rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
“Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”
The same constitution, in Chapter 1, Part II, Section 10, prohibits the adoption of a particular religion by state governments or the federal government.
It states that, “the Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion.” That implies no state in Nigeria, even the federal government can adopt a religion.
Still, it is worthy to note that state governments have the right to enact laws that could govern its activities.
Nevertheless, these situations, to many, have raised some curiosity. From the enactment of Sharia law, through the adoption of Islam in some 12 northern states, to prosecution of teenage boy and death sentence for blasphemy.
In order to diffuse the thorny situation as some would argue that these realties countered the religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution. Others have also debated that the series of events indirectly implied a battle of supremacy between the constitution and the sharia law.
In a paper published on the Nigerian Law Forum, titled, the Islamic legal account on justification of death penalty for blasphemy against the Holy Prophet (S.A.W), N.U Muhammad, the author insisted that blasphemy would always attract the, “unquestionable punishment of death.”
He referenced the former justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad to validate his position.
According to him, Tanko “puts it clear and pronounced it in a case of Kaza vs State, (2008)7 NWLR part 1085 page 125 particularly at page 199 para A-B: the trite position of law under Shari’a is that, any Sane and Adult. Muslim who insult, defames or utters words or acts which are capable of bringing into disrepute, odium, contempt, the person of holy prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), such a person has committed a serious crime which is punishable by death.”
“It is clear that the punishment of death for the offense of blasphemy has been affirmed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the above mentioned Case and leaves no doubt in the mind of Nigerians,” he argued.
But a lawyer, Barrister Solomon Okedara ……………………… explained to The ICIR that …………….. He said………………………………..
Another Lawyer, Inihebe Effiong said ………..
And many more victims of religious blasphemy
In August 2020, a musician, Yahaya Sharif-Aminu (22), was sentenced to death for sharing a song considered blasphemous via WhatsApp. The song was said to have contained blasphemous content. He was sent on retrial and he continued to argue his case at the supreme court.
The argument remained that the blasphemy law in Kano state’s Sharia law violates the nation’s constitution, and other international agreement on freedom of human rights which Nigeria is a signatory.
Mubarak Bala is the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria. His case was particularly amusing because his father was an Islamic clergy.
They were notable Muslim family in Kano state. That means his entire household were Muslims. And among his siblings, he chose to be an atheist. Besides, like others, he was charged for blasphemy – insulting prophet Mohammed. The Sharia court accused Bala of making public assertions via his Facebook post, capable of causing, “a breach of public peace.” The controversial post would later land him a 24-year jail term.
However, in the course of this report, findings revealed these were mainly products of the Sharia law. The Islamic law is a set divine teachings meant to guide Muslims to live moral lives. Findings showed it was sourced from the Quran and as well age-long religious teachings known as hadith mostly attributed to the holy prophet Muhammad.
Since Sharia was re-launched in Gusau, the state capital of Zamfara State on October 27, 1999, it has extended to about 12 states. They include Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Sokoto, Kaduna, Jigawa, and Niger.
The Criminal and Penal Code dimension
Nigerians are governed by the Criminal Code Act and the Penal Code. While the southern part of the country adopted the criminal code, the north embraced the penal code.
Both codes are to prevent social vices or criminalities. And blasphemy is considered a criminal offence in both laws. They are part of the constitution. More so, just as the Police does mainly in the south, the Hisbah group somehow enforces the penal code in the Sharia states.
The whole of Sections 204 to 213, Chapter 19 of the criminal code act, for instance, documents sanctions for wrongdoings against religious worship. It forbids any act of publicly insulting any religion.
Section 204 of the Criminal Code specifically speaks to when an individual insult a religion – irrespective of Christianity, Islam or traditional practice. And the maximum punishment an offender could attract is a charge for misdemeanor or two years’ imprisonment.
“Any person who does an act which any class of persons consider as a public insult on their religion, with the intention that they should consider the act such an insult, and any person who does an unlawful act with the knowledge that any class of persons will consider it such an insult, is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for two years,” it reads.
By extension, Chapter 20 of the criminal code deals with Witchcraft, Juju, Ordeal and Criminal Charms.
Only the use of charms for criminal activity attracts the highest sanction of five years. These implied no part of the criminal code regulating offences related to religious worship supports death sentence. But, the Sharia law which is a creation of the states, according to the Berkley Centre for Religious, Peace and World Affairs, the George Town University, “are exclusively concerned with acts considered to insulting Muslims, the punishment which can be as severe as execution.”
Bello in 3-week detention at Vigilante’s custody
In the case of Bello, a convert, he has been a great friend of Usman for years such that they have crossed several hurdles together. By the time Usman got in touch with Bello at the Vigilante detention, he had spent about three weeks in holding.
He said, he was able to discreetly communicate with Bello usually between 1-3am through one of the vigilante’s mobile phone, especially when other vigilante officials had gone out on routine assignments. He did this continually until he managed to carve an escape for his friend.
“He was looking starved, and emaciated,” Usman told The ICIR during the visit. “Every Friday, they took him to a Hisbah office for a sort of cleansing to retrieve him back to his previous religion.”
An Escape
Bello and Usman subsequently drew an escape plan after taking note of security gaps in the outpost.
To achieve the plan, Bello confided in an old man who was always displeased at the way the vigilante officials treated him and helped him escape on a Saturday afternoon when most of the officials went for a wedding party.
Usman already felt his phone number was tracked, thus, he temporarily set aside his personal phone number and disposed the SIM card he used in communicating with Bello when he was in detention.
Usman subsequently assisted Bello in relocating to another state where he sought refuge and underwent a discipleship program in a church, since he was still keen on remaining a Christian.
“When he escaped, and his whereabouts was not known, his family members and other relatives kept threatening me several times via phone calls so I do not feel safe.
“When he came back after some months, his parent never allowed him back to their family, because they already disowned him. He now stays with his uncle who could tolerate him.
“Till date, I do not follow regular routes to work or pick calls from strange phone numbers because those threats keep coming in. I always disguise with this facemask and changed my dress style for my safety. That’s why I also took those measures before we met at the roadside.” He told The ICIR.
Back shot of Sadiq Usman
In 2022, Usman had what he described as a terrible experience when he relocated to a new neighborhood in Kumbotso Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano.
But he could not stay long in the area. He said his landlord, neighbours, community head and ward head harassed him continually, until he parked out. He believed they were intolerant towards him due to his religion.
He rented a room accommodation for N60,000 and barely a week after he settled in, he started experiencing some form of discrimination from a neighbor he believed was a religious extremist.
Usman said upon his neighbor’s knowledge that he is a Hausa Christian from Kano, he was not comfortable with him. And to that end, informed the community and ward head about his presence in the area.
That led to him being interrogated at different times, which he said was quite frustrating.
“On a particular day, two men came to my room and said they were sent from the ward head to investigate the people who newly occupied the room, and demanded that a key of the room should be given to them. I refused to give them the key and they left in annoyance.
“As if that was not enough, they kept harassing me by barging into my room at different times, all in the name of interrogating me and never made me have peace of mind. Days later, the landlord called me and told me that my rent has been increased to N80,000,” he told The ICIR during the visit.
“I refused to pay the increment and we kept having back and forth. It was so bad that the caretaker and the landlord had an issue because while the landlord was frustrating me, the caretaker tried his best to stand for me because I was unjustly treated.
“It got to a time that the landlord asked me to park out of the house, stating that he wants to renovate it, so I had no other option than to leave.”
Victimised by family members
When Kazeem Ibrahim* was little, he stayed with his mother in Edo State. His mother is a Christian while his father, resident in Kaduna is Muslim. At age five, he was later taken away from his mother to Kaduna state and he started attending Islamic school and practiced Islam.
Almost two decades after, he suddenly stopped attending the regular Muslim prayers. He converted to Christianity but never told anyone.
“One of my uncles noticed I was no longer observing the Muslim prayers. He confronted me and warned should there be religious crises in the state, I would never escape it.” The hostility against him grew that he moved to another state. But, even at that, he said he would always watch his back, peep through the window
Insert Hassan’s Photograph
In 2015, Ayuba Hassan, a Christian Fulani from Kano recalled how a shop keeper in his community never sold provision to him nor any of his family members all because of their religious belief.
At first, Hassan thought the shop keeper didn’t just like his family but afterwards, he understood that the shopkeeper only sold provisions to individuals who were Muslims.
As this lingered, the shopkeeper later opened up and made it known that he doesn’t sell provisions to people he described as ‘Arna’ (A Hausa word for Pagan).
“He clearly/ told us that he will not sell provisions to us because according to him, we are Pagans but I am a Christian and not a Pagan. No matter how many times we go to his shop, he never sold provisions to us as well as other people he knew were Christians.” He said.
But to end religious extremism, Akomolede said not every battle should be fought on behalf of the holy prophet, or God, as whoever commits blasphemy would definitely be judged on the last day. He advised for peaceful and religious tolerance, stressing that the nation’s constitution should be supreme above all, and being mindful of different religions practiced in the country.
“We have a constitution in Nigeria. Leave judgement to God,” he said. “Those who abused the Holy Prophet, or left Islam for other religion should be left for God to judge.”
“Even if you arrest a robber, and his presented to the Police, and the next day you saw him walking freely on the road, leave judgement to God.”
