A group operating under the aegis of Friends of Mubarak Bala, who is currently serving a 24‑year jail term in a Kano prison, has written an open letter to Kano State Governor‑elect Abba Yusuf requesting a full pardon for the activist. Bala, a self‑proclaimed atheist and former president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was sentenced on 5 April 2022 by a Kano State High Court sitting at Audu Bako for blasphemy. He first went viral in 2020 after his arrest in Kaduna for alleged blasphemy against Allah and Prophet Muhammad; he had previously spent about two years in a correctional facility. Bala pleaded guilty, stating that his Facebook posts were not intended to incite violence and that he would take precautions in the future.
In a statement sent to the press on Tuesday and signed by friends Omole Ibukun, Elubeku Adisa, Marvelous Alemonu, Freeman Rabiu and others, the group claimed that Bala’s guilty plea was motivated by threats to his wife and child. They appealed to the Governor‑elect to pardon the convict, writing: “We are writing to appeal to you on behalf of our community of humanists that upon your swearing‑in, you should take the step to release Mubarak Bala who has been jailed for blasphemy.” They noted that Bala was detained without charge after his April 2020 arrest in Kaduna, based on a Facebook post deemed critical of religiosity, and that he had been moved repeatedly between detention facilities in Kano, Kaduna and Abuja. “We understand that after pleading guilty to all 24 charges and requesting leniency, Mubarak was given a sentence of 24 years by a secular court,” the group said.
The friends asserted that “Bala pleaded guilty because he had been threatened with the safety of his young family—his wife and his baby boy.” They emphasized that freedom of religion and freedom of expression are basic rights enshrined in the Nigerian constitution and urged the Governor‑elect to uphold these values by releasing Bala and dropping all charges. “We understand that all types of convicts in Nigeria are legally entitled to respite, clemency, or pardon, indefinitely or for a specific period, which is granted by the Governor and the President, respectively. It is this indefinite pardon that we appeal for as you take the mantle as the new governor of the state.”
Days after Bala’s sentencing, his wife Amina expressed her refusal to accept the judgment. She told The … that she could not sleep nor eat and vowed to appeal the conviction: “We will appeal the case. I don’t accept that judgment against my husband. We will pursue it to the Supreme Court.”
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