POLICE ARRESTS ACTIVIST IN KADUNA FOR 'INSULTING PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH)'
An activist, Mubarak Bala, who is the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, has been arrested by the police in Kaduna for allegedly Insulting Prophet Muhammad on Facebook.
Reports have it that two police officers who were not on their uniforms arrested Bala at his residence and is currently in the custody of Gbabasawa Police station, in Kaduna.
Bala's arrest comes after a petition by a group of lawyers to the commissioner of police in Kano state to prosecute him for insulting Prophet Muhammad on his Facebook page.
The petition signed by a certain S.S Umar reads, "We are submitting this complaint against one Mubarak Bala of Layin Massalaccin Bilai, Karkasara quarters, Kano."
"The said Mubarak was born and raised as a Muslim but for his own personal reason decided to leave Islam for atheism sometime in 2014 and has since then been writing stuff on his Facebook page that are provocative and annoying to Muslims."
The petition, alleges that Mubarak contravenes section 210 of the Penal code of Kano, which states that "...whoever by any means publicly insults or seeks to incite contempt of any religion in such a manner as to be likely to lead to a breach of the peace, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or fine or with both."
A member of the Humanist Association of Nigeria said they were demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the activist.
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He said, "We at Humanist Association of Nigeria are deeply worried by the arrest and detention of our president, Mubarak Bala.
"Mubarak Bala will likely be handed over to the Kano State Police Command that will prosecute him for blasphemy, a crime that carries a death sentence under sharia law.
"We urge the Inspector-General of Police, governor of Kaduna, Mallam Elrufai, to ensure his immediate release."
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