Court Adjourns Blasphemy Appeal Hearing To Nov 26

 

A Kano State High Court (Appeal Division) on Monday adjourned till November 26th, 2020 for the hearing of the appeal challenging the Upper Shariah court judgment which sentenced a 30-year-old man, Sharrif Yahaya, to death by hanging and another 17-year-old Umar Farouq sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad and making a derogatory statement against Almighty Allah respectively.

Both Yahaya and Farouq had filed a suit before the Kano State High Court to appeal the judgment of the Shariah court sitting in Hausawa Filin Hockey in Kano State.

When the case came up for hearing on Monday, the appellants were absent but sent in their messages through a representative, Zubairu Usman, seeking an adjournment on the premises that they were served on short notice and could not make it down due to the civil unrest in Lagos State.

The penal presided over by the Chief Judge, Justice Nuraddeen Sagir, however, granted their requests and adjourned the case until November 26, 2020, to enable the respondents to serve the appellant’s notice in good time and appear before the court.

“The court is aware of the unrest in Lagos and as a result of this adjourn till 26th November 2020. And the respondents shall serve the appellant in good time,” Sagir said.

However, counsel to the respondents (State government and the Attorney General of the state), Barrister Musa Lawan said he would file an application before the court to enable it to serve the appellant through substituted means (courier) in good time to enable them to go through the processes and respond before the next adjournment date.