Friday, 29 March, 2024
HomeMedico-LegalNigeria's paediatric association takes issue with blasphemy conviction

Nigeria's paediatric association takes issue with blasphemy conviction

The Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) has asked the Kano State government to review the conviction of a teenager who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for committing blasphemy, reports THISDAY.

As previously reported, Omar Farouq (13) was convicted in a Sharia court after he was accused of defaming Allah in an argument with a friend. He was sentenced on 10 August by the same court that recently sentenced a studio assistant Yahaya Sharif-Aminu to death for blaspheming Prophet Mohammed.

THISDAY reports that the association said Farouq was tried as an adult ‘based on the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics on his body’. Kano is one of 12 Nigerian states practising the Sharia legal system alongside the country's secular laws. Unicef has called on the Nigerian Government to urgently review the case.

[link url="https://allafrica.com/stories/202010040018.html"]Full THISDAY report[/link]

MedicalBrief — our free weekly e-newsletter

We'd appreciate as much information as possible, however only an email address is required.