The European Parliament has adopted an urgent resolution urging Nigerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Sufi Muslim singer sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy in Kano State. The resolution, passed under RC-B10-0101/2025, also calls for the repeal of blasphemy laws at both federal and state levels, citing violations of human rights and Nigeria’s international obligations.
Sharif-Aminu has been detained since March 2020, when he was convicted by an upper Sharia court in Kano for song lyrics deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad. He was initially sentenced to death by hanging in August 2020. Although his conviction was overturned in January 2021, he was ordered to face a retrial. Despite appealing his case to Nigeria’s Supreme Court in November 2022, he remains in prison.
The European Parliament’s resolution also demands the release of three other individuals facing similar blasphemy charges: Abdulazeez Inyass, sentenced to death in Kano in 2016; Abduljabar Nasiru Kabara, sentenced to death in December 2022; and Isma’ila Sani Isah, arrested in Sokoto State in 2021.
On August 30, 2024, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared Sharif-Aminu’s imprisonment a violation of multiple articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The UN called for his immediate release and compensation.
The EU resolution criticizes Nigeria’s blasphemy laws, arguing that they contradict the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and international human rights agreements. Nigeria is one of only seven countries worldwide where blasphemy is punishable by death.
The resolution states that “blasphemy laws are in clear breach of international human rights obligations, in particular the ICCPR to which Nigeria is party, and contrary to the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom and freedom of expression.” It urges Nigerian authorities to uphold human rights by ensuring that federal, state, and Sharia laws do not deny Nigerians the protections afforded by the national Constitution and international conventions. The resolution also calls for the repeal of blasphemy laws at both federal and state levels.
Additionally, the EU Parliament emphasized international efforts to abolish the death penalty and urged Nigeria to immediately cease using capital punishment for blasphemy, taking steps toward its full abolition. It also called on the Nigerian government to address impunity surrounding blasphemy accusations by penalizing false allegations and bringing perpetrators of violence to justice, thereby strengthening the rule of law.
The resolution further urges the EU and its member states to raise individual cases, human rights concerns, and blasphemy laws with Nigerian authorities. It instructs the President of the European Parliament to forward the resolution to the Parliament and Government of Nigeria.
In response to the resolution, Kola Alapinni, an international human rights lawyer and U.S. Secretary of State awardee for International Religious Freedom, expressed his satisfaction on X (formerly Twitter). He stated, “Mission accomplished. It sailed through Parliament overwhelmingly—almost no dissenting voice.” He added, “The EU Parliament in Strasbourg just passed a second urgent resolution (RC-B10-0101/2025) on Yahaya Sharif-Aminu (The Kano Singer). Urging the Nigerian authorities to ensure that Federal, State, and Sharia Laws do not deny Nigerians the protections afforded by the national constitution and international conventions.”
The resolution highlights growing international pressure on Nigeria to address human rights violations linked to blasphemy laws and the use of the death penalty.