Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, on Thursday, expressed his readiness to sign the death sentence judgment on an alleged blasphemy by a 22-year-old Aminu Yahaya Sharif by a Judge of Kano Upper Shari’ah Court.

The Judge, Aliyu Kani, said his judgment was based on Section 382 (b) of Kano Shari’ah Penal Code of 2000.

Ganduje made the statement during a special meeting held at Africa House, Government House, Kano, on Thursday.

He said, “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. Such kind of irresponsible act, if not because of the state power, nobody could know what would happen in the future,” he said.

He added, “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 judgment. We are lucky that scholars maintained that it wasn’t a case for a particular sect, but rather of one who just decided to derail.”

According to him, the state government has accepted the death sentence verdict and the rule of law surrounding the case.

“I will not waste time in signing the warrant for the execution of the man, who blasphemed our Holy Prophet of Islam,” he said.

Also, he commended how the court handled the case and commended all sections of the society for not fomenting trouble when the case was in the court, adding 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,” he added.

Ganduje’s announcement was in the presence of the Commissioner of Police, Director State Security Service, representative of Christian Association of Nigeria, Eze Ndigbo in Kano, Igwe Boniface Ibekwe; representatives of Nigerian Bar Association, representatives of Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria, and Comptroller of Kano Correctional Centre among others.

By Ted Odogwu