The United States is calling on Nigeria to release Sufi musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, who is held on death row in Kano over blasphemy charges. Multiple outlets say the US position is being raised in the context of US engagement with Nigerian authorities and concern about violence tied to the case.
Reports describe how Sharif-Aminu was arrested in March 2020 after sharing lyrics he wrote via WhatsApp. After the lyrics were judged “blasphemous,” a mob burned down his family’s home. Outlets also say he was convicted by a Sharia court in Kano in a trial they describe as rushed, without legal representation, and sentenced to death by hanging in August 2020.
The outlets differ mainly in emphasis. The Punch leads with the US urging Nigeria to free the musician, framing it around blasphemy and the death row sentence. Nigerian Eye foregrounds comments attributed to Hon. Riley Barnes during a US House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, adding that the US is also urging Nigeria to move away from enforcing blasphemy laws, while saying its central aim is reducing attacks and violence. Daily Post Nigeria carries the same core claims and lead focus as Nigerian Eye, centered on the US demand and Barnes’s disclosure.
