UNICEF has condemned the sentencing of a 13-year-old boy to 10-years in prison for blasphemy.
The teenager, Omar Farouq was convicted in a Sharia court in Kano State in northwest Nigeria after being accused of using foul language toward Allah in an argument with a friend.
Omar was sentenced on August 10 by the very court that recently sentenced a studio assistant Yahaya Sharif-Aminu to death for blaspheming Prophet Mohammed.
According to counsel Kola Alapinni, Omar’s punishment goes against the African Charter of the Rights and Welfare of a Child and the Nigerian constitution. Kola told CNN they have filed an appeal on his behalf.
Omar was tried as an adult since he had reached puberty and has full responsibility under Islamic law.
Alapinni together with other lawyers working on the case is yet to be granted access to Pmar by authorities inKano State.
According to Alapinni, he came across Omar’s case while working on Sharif-Aminu’s case, who was sentenced to death for blasphemy.
“We found out they were convicted on the same day, by the same judge, in the same court, for blasphemy and we found out no one was talking about Omar, so we had to move quickly to file an appeal for him,” he told CNN.
“Blasphemy is not recognized by Nigerian law. It is inconsistent with the constitution of Nigeria.”
He said the teenager’s mother fled the village to a neighboring town after a mob descended on her home following Omar’s arrest.
“Everyone here is scared to speak and living under the fear of reprisal attacks,” he said as reported by CNN.
In a statement on the sentencing, UNICEF expressed “deep concern” on the issues
“The sentencing of this child — 13-year-old Omar Farouq — to 10 years in prison with menial labor is wrong,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF representative in Nigeria.
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“It also negates all core underlying principles of child rights and child justice that Nigeria — and by implication, Kano State — has signed on to.”
The international body called on the Nigerian governments to quickly review the case and reverse the sentence.
“This case further underlines the urgent need to accelerate the enactment of the Kano State Child Protection Bill to ensure that all children under 18, including Omar Farouq, are protected — and that all children in Kano are treated under child rights standards,” Hawkins said as reported by CNN.
