Nigerian State Lawyer Threatens to Publicly Execute Young Man for Sending a Song on WhatsApp  

  • After more than five years’ imprisonment, a first hearing for Yahaya Sharif-Aminu’s WhatsApp blasphemy case was held at the Nigerian Supreme Court; State lawyer declares “we will execute him publicly”

  • ADF International is supporting Yahaya in his fight for justice and the repeal of Nigeria’s blasphemy laws.

ABUJA (26 September 2025) – Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Nigeria held its first hearing in the case of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a young Sufi musician sentenced to death in 2020 in Kano State, Nigeria, for allegedly sharing song lyrics on WhatsApp deemed blasphemous. This marks the first step in his appeal before the country’s highest court, more than five years after his imprisonment. The Supreme Court permitted Sharif-Aminu’s appeal to move forward. 

Directly following the hearing, Lamido Abba Sorondinki, counsel for the Kano State government, spoke explicitly about the state’s intention to publicly execute Sharif-Aminu, should the Supreme Court rule in Kano State’s favor: “This applicant made blasphemous statements against the Holy Prophet, which the government of Kano State will not condone. If the Supreme Court upholds the lower court’s decision, we will execute him publicly.” This chilling statement underscores the extreme severity of northern Nigeria’s blasphemy laws, which continue to threaten the lives of religious minorities and silence free expression. 

“The Supreme Court of Nigeria has before it a matter of literal life or death. Absolutely no one should face the death penalty for peacefully sharing song lyrics. In a severe violation of his fundamental human rights, Yahaya has languished in prison for more than five years for a peaceful WhatsApp message"

- Sean Nelson, Legal Counsel for ADF International

“The Supreme Court of Nigeria has before it a matter of literal life or death. Absolutely no one should face the death penalty for peacefully sharing song lyrics. In a severe violation of his fundamental human rights, Yahaya has languished in prison for more than five years for a peaceful WhatsApp message,” said Sean Nelson, Legal Counsel for ADF International. “Yesterday’s Supreme Court hearing is the next step in earning justice for him and protecting his right to free expression and religious freedom, and in turn, that of every person in Nigeria. This case goes beyond one young man. It is about whether millions of Nigerians can live free from fear under unjust blasphemy laws.”  

“For far too long, blasphemy laws have wrongfully been used to persecute and harm religious minorities. It is time for the court to make a decision that upholds the right to religious freedom in Nigeria,” said Kola Alapinni, Nigerian Human Rights Lawyer and lead counsel for Yahaya Sharif-Aminu. 

Background 

In March 2020, Yahaya-Sharif Aminu, a Sufi Muslim from Kano State, shared song lyrics on WhatsApp that some considered blasphemous. Local authorities arrested him, while a mob burned his home to the ground. On 10 August 2020, a Sharia court convicted him of blasphemy and sentenced him to death by hanging.  

In January 2021, the court overturned the conviction, citing serious procedural flaws, including the lack of legal representation during his original trial. However, the High Court ordered a retrial, in which Sharif-Aminu would face the same death penalty blasphemy law. After an appellate court upheld the retrial order in 2022, Yahaya Sharif-Aminu appealed to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.  

Sharif-Aminu has remained in prison for over five years and is currently awaiting justice from the Supreme Court.  Sharif-Aminu, in his appeal, is now asking the court not only to free him, but also to declare Kano State’s death penalty blasphemy law unconstitutional, arguing that it violates Nigeria’s own constitution and international commitments to protect freedom of religion and expression. 

Blasphemy Laws in Nigeria

Nigeria’s blasphemy laws, particularly enforced in the country’s northern region, inflict severe punishments including the death penalty. International human rights groups have repeatedly called for their repeal. Yahaya’s case before the Supreme Court highlights the urgent need for reform to protect freedom of religion and belief. 

Yahaya’s Supreme Court appeal has the potential to overturn Northern Nigeria’s draconian Sharia-based blasphemy laws, thus enabling Christian converts, minority Muslims, and others, a greater chance to freely speak about their faith and be protected from the often-life-threatening violence that accompanies a blasphemy accusation. 

The European Parliament has already called for Yahaya’s release twice by adopting an urgency resolution in his case. It is rare for the European Parliament to raise the same case twice, demonstrating the gravity and importance of the situation facing Yahaya. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has similarly determined that Yahaya’s imprisonment is in violation of internationally-recognized human rights. Earlier this year, the regional West African treaty court, the ECOWAS Court, ruled that Nigeria’s blasphemy laws violate international law and the African Charter, calling for the blasphemy laws’ repeal. The ECOWAS Court based its decision in significant part on Yahaya Sharif-Aminu’s case. 

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US State Department Panel Decries Censorship at UN High-Level Week

UN undermines parents' rights by pushing gender ideology.
  • Free speech experts raise concerns about the rise of free speech violations across Europe and UK to the UN
  • ADF International’s Kelsey Zorzi underscores global threats to free speech, citing EU Digital Services Act.
UN undermines parents' rights by pushing gender ideology.

NEW YORK CITY (Sept 25) – In a significant show of concern, the U.S. State Department hosted a panel discussion at United Nations High-Level week on Thursday. Experts addressed rising global censorship, highlighting the UK and Europe. Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom with ADF International, highlighting growing threats to free speech across the world.

“With hundreds of active cases in dozens of countries across six continents, we have a unique vantage point from which a clear picture has emerged: censorship is becoming more aggressive, more coordinated, and more global,” said Zorzi.

“Censorship is becoming more aggressive, more coordinated, and more global."

- Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom at ADF International

The panel, on the margins of the UN High-Level Week before the 80th Session of the General Assembly, follows a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee of the US Congress, where ADF International similarly warned US lawmakers of the threat of censorship growing across Europe.

Escalating Censorship Across the World

Zorzi described the state of censorship in the EU as “highly concerning.” She highlighted the case of Päivi Räsänen, a sitting Finnish Parliamentarian facing criminal prosecution for tweeting a Bible verse, now before Finland’s Supreme Court.  ADF International is coordinating Rasanen’s legal defence.

Another major concern raised  was the reality that Europe is exporting censorship worldwide through the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), including to the United States.

Zorzi stated the following on the censorial impact of the DSA:

 “The DSA is a brazen attempt to create a global Censorship Industrial Complex, not only for the EU but for the entire digital world. It is imposed on all platforms used by Europeans, regardless of where those companies are based. Any content found objectionable under EU rules may be banned everywhere.

“While EU regulators have denied that the DSA promotes censorship within Europe or abroad, just this week, in response to investigations carried out by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, the internet giant Google expressed its own concerns that ‘the DSA may pose [risks] to freedom of expression within and outside of the European Union.’

“We’ve also already seen just how far governments will go in censoring online speech, and there is no reason to believe that EU regulators wielding the enormous bureaucratic power of the DSA would have any more restraint.

“The UK already arrests 12,000 people every year—over 32 people a day—for allegedly offensive online posts. The Brazilian Supreme Court has recently held that digital platforms like X should be held directly liable for posts allegedly constituting “hate speech” if they are not removed, a decision that has led, in part, to the U.S. placing sanctions on Brazilian officials. EU officials have previously even threatened X with massive fines merely for hosting a conversation with then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“In a similar manner to the EU, the UK has embarked on the path of online censorship with the introduction of the so-called ‘Online Safety Act’ which is already being used to censor perfectly legitimate political speech as ‘illegal content’, like the EU’s Digital Services Act the UK’s Online Safety Act gives government regulators power to impose enormous fines on tech companies- which leads to a compliance mindset.”

Zorzi called on governments to take action, stating that, “While the current EU censorship landscape is highly concerning, the weeks ahead are critical, as the DSA comes under mandatory review this November. Many European leaders already have a vice grip on the global public square. Nations and organizations that support free speech anywhere must push back now before that vice grip becomes a chokehold.”

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